Period Poverty in Youth, Proliferating Disparities

Abstract

A silent threat, with stigma holding tongues back, period poverty affects countless students, harming their education. Nationwide, 1 in 5 menstruating teens struggles to buy period products (Thinx & PERIOD, 2019). Those who should be focusing on growing and developing are instead worrying whether they can afford to maintain a normal biological process safely. Among these teens, 84% have either missed or know someone who has missed school due to period poverty (Thinx & PERIOD, 2019). As a result, they struggle to access full and proper education because students would rather stay at home than face embarrassment, discomfort, and pain. The school system is supposed to be a haven, fostering both education and well-being. However, stigma combined with a lack of care instead leads to young people skipping or missing class on account of something they cannot control.