There are multiple things that plague women and girls who are born into low income families. Some can include a lack of education, child marriage and malnutrition due to lack of access to proteinous foods.
One major area that affects the mobility of women and girls born into low income families is period poverty. This simply means the lack of adequate resources like water and menstrual care products to manage periods.
Urban Woman Magazine recently asked some women their thoughts on how period poverty affects the possibility of girls thriving.
Read their responses below.
O
I have experienced period poverty before and trust me, it’s hell.
Throughout my secondary school days I used tissues.
50naira tissue because that was what I could afford and it caused serious injuries in my vagina area that I won’t be able to walk properly for weeks till it heals up for the next round.
From tissue paper to clothes, it wasn’t until I started living with my parent that I used a pad and you needed to see how happy and free I felt.
The government should subsidise pads if possible; this thing is biological and beyond our control.
Sanitary pads industries shouldn’t stop going to schools and higher institutions. Even on the street.
H
I think people really under rate how much period poverty affects women’s lives. Before I got into the policy and development space, I worked with an NGO that focused on period education and tackling period poverty. What I saw there was eye-opening.
So many women and girls couldn’t afford pads. Some used tissue, which I first learned about through that work, and even though that’s unhealthy, it wasn’t the worst. What truly shocked and saddened me was learning that some women used rags, not just once but repeatedly. They would wash and dry the same rags and use them over and over again because they couldn’t afford to buy sanitary pads.
Personally, if I wear a pad for longer than six to eight hours, I start getting rashes. Imagine what happens to women who have to use the same piece of fabric for days. Back then, a pack of pads cost around 300 naira, but even that was out of reach for many because these were women struggling to afford food.
The amount of girls that don’t have access to a pad????
I grew up always having pads. Our second project was teaching girls to make reusable pads (I LOATHE THIS SO MUCH) and I was in constant shock how excited they were.
This was 2018. It is why I always have two pads in my bag and why I travel with a pack of pads regardless of the time of the month.
Period poverty is harmful because it doesn’t just affect hygiene, it affects dignity, health, education, and participation. When you’re constantly worried about staining yourself, you don’t go out, you miss school or work, and you lose confidence. It becomes a cycle of silence and shame.
Institutionally, we need to treat menstrual health as a basic need, not a luxury. Policies should support free or subsidized pads in schools and low-income communities. Period education should also be integrated into community and school programs so that girls and women understand their bodies and are empowered to care for themselves safely.
Angel Nduka-Nwosu is a writer, journalist and editor. She moonlights occasionally as a podcaster on As Angel Was Sayin’. Catch her on all socials @asangelwassayin.