Women, Period And Poverty

One child, One teacher and one book can change the world - Malala Yousafzai

Why only women are lagging behind almost every facet of life? Why they are not getting required space, resources and opportunity to even take care of their hygiene, sanitation and health to prevent and control the most serious and severe health problems which they face every month naturally that is period by the grace of God.

Period poverty usually means lacking in basic hygiene products, knowledge and acceptance from society.

Period poverty, the literal sense unaccess of sanitary products to the women at certain circumstances and also poor ladies those who were unable to afford the sanitary product at a time of homelessness, coercive, controlling and a violent relationship and health conditions such as endometriosis.

Both boys and girls face scarcity of resources to operate their growing problems of sanitation. Girls are more vulnerable, unsafe and at high risks, they face stigma, shame and slurries remarks only because nature has specified them with some natural process which occurs every month in the name of the period, which men does not face. Since our society from centuries being male-dominated and paterfamilias, it takes time to change their belief and perception regarding women natural hygiene.

Who lacks this basic hygiene product?

Poor and destitute, girls and women always lack these basic hygiene products treated as a luxury in many poor Asian, African and Latin American countries which deprive them of the accessibility and affordability of hygiene products. Lack of awareness, mass campaign and free availability led poor girls and women to rely on the unhygienic manner to tackle the problems like they use rags and dirty clothes. This sometimes creates other problems like causing infection in the urinal tract. These girls and women lacking because they are poor, the person who is unable to afford twice a meal for a day, the sanitation products usually become luxury, if not available free.

Why they lack?

This issue somewhere associated with poverty, lacking basic childhood resources deprives us of a lot of important and necessary things in life further as we grow. Basic resources here mean, proper diet, necessary education, safe environment, virtuous manner and good habits which covers knowing essential knowledge and information to keep ourself free from disease, infections and naturally occurring periods, to be the part of the productive population of this planet.

Aforementioned resources are seldom available to poor and developing countries. Since this is a serious global issue and global problems required global support and campaign to mitigate the problem.


Cultivating awareness among girls from beginning about their hygiene, health and sanitation regarding their bodily requirement and care could be helpful. Increasing their knowledge pertaining to their private parts, function and keeping safe to overcome such natural problems inflicted upon them by nature.

Parents could play an essential role to explore the scope of information pertaining to their children body parts, mother by displaying the function and role, so the girls could not become the victim of the growing stigmatization, trauma and torment they face outside, in their friend circle, school and colleges. Every parent must develop an eagerness in child regarding health, fitness and sensitive problems which keep their children safe and secure from the outside world, step-up in this direction would yield better results.

Young girls and women who mensurate are ostracized from basic activities like eating certain foods or socializing all over the world. The cultural shame attached to the mensuration and a shortage of resources stop women from going to school every day.

Global Impacts

Globally 2.3 billion people live without basic sanitation services. This is a huge population which needs to be curtailed with collective efforts and responsibility of all.

According to UNICEF one-third of girls in South Asia miss school during their period. Around 44percent of women have experienced period poverty have issues finding employment.

According to UNICEF in developing countries, only 27 per cent of people have adequate handwashing facilities at home.

The severe situation in various countries

In Nepal during period girls and women kept outside home known as 'chaupaadis' or period huts is very distressing and painful.

In Uganda, many girls prefer to skip school while on their period to avoid teasing by classmates.

In Bangladesh, many families can't afford hygiene products as a large chunk of the population being unable to manage meal twice a day is their first priority rather sanitation products.

In 2018, Scotland becomes the first country to make sanitary products free to students at school, colleges and universities. Lower-income families to have free access to sanitary products.

Keeping sanitary products under luxury goods makes tampoons and pads even more inaccessible for poor families. Approximately daily 800 million girls and women face period poverty and globally around 26 per cent of the population at reproductive age which needs essential sanitation products and cares to become productive.

In the era of the 21st-century growing period, poverty among girls is a really hurtful, terrible and harsh. The universal issue needs to be tackled universally by engaging people across the world to enable them about the severe and grave danger it causes to the human if not stopped within a limited time frame.

As human being always being optimistic and this optimism would help us to remove the root cause of the problem of period poverty by taking necessary, required and needed step to help girls and women across the world of growing period poverty.

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