May 24-30th is National Period Poverty Awareness Week, and we need your help!
Together with the badass babes from Someplace Images and Amber Goddess Designs, Punk Rock Saves Lives is planning a NATIONWIDE period product drive to #endperiodpoverty in our communities!
On a local level, PRSL has worked with Period Kits in the past, and we will be donating Denver donations to this organization; but there are organizations across the US that work toward ending period poverty in their own communities, and we want to encourage you to participate and donate to YOUR local charity. We’re even making it easy; we’ll be coordinating donation drop-offs in many different cities across the US, so PLEASE get in touch if you’d like to participate!
So...period poverty. Why should you care?
1 in 4 US Women Has Experienced Period Poverty in the Last Year.
When you think about period poverty, it’s probably easy to picture distant third-world nations struggling; but period poverty also happens in our own backyards every single day. Between menstruation stigma and cost, women in your own community are forced to miss school, work, and important events because they can’t afford or access period products. Adding insult to injury? Government programs like Food Stamps and WIC do not cover the cost of period products.
(Curious about local impact? Check out the Alliance for Period Supplies to view the statistics in your own state -- you may be incredibly shocked by what you find.)
Period Poverty Has a Direct Impact on the Mental Health of Menstruators.
The average menstruator will go through monthly menses for 35-40 years; that’s roughly 3000 days, or approximately 8 years, of their life. When a person is taught that a natural, biological monthly event is something to be embarrassed or ashamed of, that leaves a mark. That mark grows when that menstruator also experiences period poverty.
In a study published by BMC Women’s Health in January, 68.1% of women living in regular period poverty experienced symptoms consistent with moderate or severe depression. Comparatively, 61.2% of women who had experienced some period poverty, and only 43.4% of those who had never experienced period poverty, reported these symptoms.
Together, We Can Break Down One More Stigma.
As a community, we can do our part to see an end to period poverty. In our daily lives, we can be an ally to menstruators and be a safe space for open communication surrounding menstruation. We can also have conversations with our representatives on all levels about abolishing the pink tax and even take a page from Scotland’s book and provide period products 100% free; these products are necessities, not luxuries.
And for immediate action, participate in Period Poverty Awareness Week with us! Join our drive, seek out the organizations local to you, and help put an end to period poverty in our communities. Every donation makes a world of difference in the life of a menstruator.