The rising effects of period poverty in the UK

Period poverty is defined as being unable to afford sanitary products and having little knowledge of the menstrual cycle according to Bodyform, a period product company.  

As every menstruator’s period is different in terms of length, symptoms, and heaviness, the culture around menstrual cycles and levels of period poverty differ globally.

Studies by the World Bank in 2018 estimated that 500 million women and girls globally had no access to adequate hygiene facilities to maintain a healthy menstrual cycle, while 526 million girls had no access to a bathroom in 2021 according to Plan International. 

Period poverty also differs globally, as the U.N. estimates that more than 700,000 women and girls in Gaza do not currently have access to period products or clean facilities to maintain healthy menstrual cycles. 

In the US, a study by U of Kotex in 2021 revealed that period poverty increased by more than a third since 2018, and specifically affects people of color, with approximately a quarter of Black and Latina women reporting they struggled to afford period products.  

As period poverty has increased over time, period products and the culture around them have also evolved throughout history. 

As sanitary products have evolved, costs have also risen. According to The Guardian, the data firm Assosia found that across Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda, and Morrisons, the average price of a 20-pack of supermarket tampons rose by 27% from 2022 to 2023. The data firm also found that a pack of eight to ten pads became 16% more expensive, reaching £1.51 in 2023.

Period poverty is on the rise in the UK, as it jumped from 12% in 2022 to 21% in 2023, according to Action Aid. 

While one in five menstruators can’t afford period products, one in four are struggling to afford them according to a representative survey of 1,000 girls by Plan International UK. 

This study conducted in 2022 also found that one in ten respondents reported that they obtained their period products through food banks. 

Organisations compiling data on the effects of period poverty have not only focused on the inequality itself, but the idea of period equity. 

In Kind Direct conducted a study, The State of Period Equity in the UK, and found that period inequity is not only affecting menstruators’ ability to procure period products, but also their personal and professional lives. 

The research comprised of surveys and interviews of more than 5,000 people found that one in five people who did not have access to period products as children also couldn’t afford them as adults.  

The study also found that £3.25 billion has been lost in work days due to period inequality. 

Moreover, a study by One Poll found that in a year, 137,700 children in the UK missed school due to period poverty crises. 

Furthermore, research has found that 37% of the UK, and particularly 56% of those aged 18 to 24 cannot afford hygiene or grooming essentials when it comes to period health due to financial constraints. 

In addition to being unable to afford period products, a study by Action Aid has found that people’s attempts to find solutions to period poverty often pose greater health risks. 

Action Aid found that 41% of those affected by period poverty kept pads or tampons in for longer, and 8% of respondents reused disposable pads.

 Similarly, more than a third of those facing period poverty reported that they used tissues or wool as a substitute for period products, and under a quarter used socks, other clothing, paper, or newspaper. 

Period equity can be defined as a society free from the stigma surrounding menstrual cycles and that has free access to products and facilities necessary to maintain a healthy menstrual cycle, as well as comprehensive education about period health, according to UK charity In Kind Direct. 

The not-for-profit organisation Flow Happy has been working to eradicate period poverty and raise awareness about menstrual health in London. 

Alvina Appleton founded the organisation in March 2022 following her own experiences with period poverty and has since provided more than 223,000 free pads and tampons to menstruators by leaving them in publicly accessible spaces. 

With 45 stations in 13 boroughs, Flow Happy has served more than 15,000 women and girls and aims to create 385 cabinets with products. 

Flow Happy not only distributes free products, but also hosts events to educate others about period poverty, health, and reusable products. 

Appleton said: “Our mission is that every menstruator has access to free period products within a quarter-mile radius.” 

Flow Happy recently hosted the exhibition Flow On Show at Hammersmith Bus Station to highlight the prevalence of period poverty and raise awareness about menstrual health. 

On the work that needs to be done, Appleton said: “There have been cuts like, you know the government are stopping their provision in schools, so it is kind of like two steps forward, ten steps back.”

As Flow Happy serves the community of menstruators without period products in London, the Grace Period Project serves those vulnerable communities in North Somerset and Bristol. 

Founded last year by Nicola Goldhawk, a secondary school history teacher, and Zoe Langford, a social worker, the Grace Period Project distributes bags of free period products for menstruators. 

After witnessing the effects of the cost-of-living crisis on people at their jobs and becoming aware of the lack of education around periods, Goldhawk and Langford decided to begin distributing free products. 

Langford said: “It's not just about providing free period products for us, it's about empowering people through education.” 

Each bag contains two packs of pads, which is approximately 32 pads in total, along with a wellness tea bag and chocolate, and other pamphlets with health toolkit information for organisations in the area. 

While Goldhawk and Langford initially packed the bags with tampons and reusable period products, they found that those products were not appropriate for certain groups, particularly refugees who practice Islam.

In addition to making the bags culturally appropriate for all, Goldhawk and Langford also faced funding constraints, and therefore chose to make the bags pad-only for the foreseeable future. 

The Grace Period Project not only aims to provide free products for those who cannot afford them, but also educate about menstrual cycles and related health conditions, and reach all who need period products. 

Langford highlighted how The Grace Period Project has worked to reach members of the LGBTQIA+ community, specifically transgender men and non-binary people, to ensure that all menstruators have access to period products when they need them. 

Emphasizing the importance of language and inclusion, she said: “If we're going to target period poverty,  everybody's voice needs to be included. 

“That community is so often neglected from the conversation.

“In line with that actually, we placed products at the LGBTQ forum so people can go there and collect bags if they're unable to afford products. 

“It also is for people that are at risk of like transphobic hate if they're going into shops and purchasing product.” 

On the culture surrounding periods, Langford said: “The culture of periods around the UK is probably the same as it was 15 years ago when I started my period. 

“The statistics are that only one in three Britons have heard of the term period poverty.

“So you know, not only are we not aware, that it even exists, but people just can't comprehend that would be a problem in Britain, and I think that is because we don't talk about periods.

“There's the shame and the stigma surrounding it.” 

Having distributed 1,474 bags since founding the Grace Period Project, Goldhawk and Langford are aiming higher and plan to increase their donations to 200 bags per month this year. The following year, they aim to distribute 300 bags per month, and the next, 400. 

Goldhawk said: “Our plan is to really conquer the southwest and be available for the southwest region, which perhaps sometimes can go a little bit forgotten. 

“You know, we're like the sort of the quiet stepsister to the southeast in London, and then there's the north and so on, and I think we just want to represent what's going on over this side of the country.” 

“The demographic is quite different, and the funding landscape can be quite different, but it's happening here as well and we're excited to be here and grow and play our part as much as we can.” 

Period poverty, like the menstrual cycle itself, is highly complex and deeply entrenched in stigma. 

Studies have found that period poverty has a profound effect on menstruators’ mental health and overall personal and professional lives. 

A study conducted in 2018 by Always via OnePoll found that menstruators facing period poverty are more likely to be anxious and depressed, as well as face issues with employment and overall happiness. 

After surveying more than 1,500 women, the research found that nearly half of respondents said they suffered from anxiety and depression. 

One in four respondents said they found themselves embarrassed after being in a situation where they did not have access to period products while on their periods. 

The poll also found that menstruators enduring period poverty were less likely to have taken their GCSEs or A-levels, and struggled with unemployment and financial hardship. 

An Engagement and Project Officer for Healthwatch Hammersmith and Fulham, Chloe Howcroft was a co-curator of Flow Happy’s Flow on Show exhibition. 

Howcroft said: “Day to day, being on your period whilst experiencing period poverty is not easy.” 

“But ultimately, it's about reaching out for help, and having no shame in asking for help when you're on your period.” 

On the topic of World Menstrual Hygiene Day, she added: “We sort of refrain from saying ‘World Menstrual Hygiene Day,’ because there are connotations of periods and menstrual health being something dirty and unclean and not to be talked about."

On defining and living period dignity, Howcroft said: “It's about being able to talk about or just talking about periods freely without the shame and stigma and taboo that sadly is still attached to it.

“Secondly, to have access to the period products, to the infrastructure and facilities, and the information that all menstruators need, when they need them without any financial, social, cultural barriers.” 

Eradicating period poverty not only means providing for the basic needs of millions of menstruators, but also improving the mental health of women and girls and shifting the narrative on what it means to have a period globally.