Love is red, anger is red, and so is blood.
But why am I telling you about red things? Well, dear reader, this segues wonderfully into our topic! Period inequality!
Tampon tax (or period tax) is a popular term used to call attention to tampons, and other feminine hygiene products, being subject to value-added tax (VAT) or sales tax, unlike the tax exemption status granted to other products considered basic necessities.
Wow. That’s just a while new level of shitty. Its not like people actually choose to get their periods, nor it it something they can just avoid. So taxing period products like normal goods instead of basic goddamn necessities? That’s just cruel
Especially when you throw in poverty into the mix. Imagine people having to choose between buying a pad or potentially starving to death. Idk about you guys, but I think most people would rather not die via starvation.This, as you can see, creates the perfect scenario for period related illnesses -that oh! By the way! Poor people don’t have money to pay bills for! And if you think that period inequalities only affect poor, rural areas? Sadly that’s a bubble I’ve gotta burst.
People who have a lot of flow on their periods need to constantly change their pads/tampons, and over time this can create a hole in one’s wallet, as they have to pay more than the average person on their periods.
As most menstruating people are female presenting, they are also probably facing pay disparity(which is real btw!). So that just adds another layer to the shit-sundae! yay
If they try to extend the life of products by using them for multiple hours (more than 8 hours) at a time, they can wind up with various diseases and illnesses. Not having a bathroom with running water, or a clean environment to wash and change can also increase the risk of infection.
Why is it important to encourage talks about period inequality?
Well, we gotta address the stigma around periods so that we can understand and fix the challenges that people face related to their periods.
Period poverty is real, period equity should be real too. When there is a stigma around something, people are always gonna be hesitant to talk about it. But if the stigma is removed, (or even eased cause we gotta start somewhere, right?) we can help to address the needs of half of our population! We can’t have equity when half the population bears such a financial and physical burden, for simply being born with a few body parts.
Alright but that just sounds like a while lot of non actionable nonsense! What can I even do about it?
Firstly, like most things in the world, there isn’t an ‘end all be all’ answer to the problem to period poverty.
• But, we can start by encouraging conversation! When we talk about how something is unfair, we build a sense of community around it. And when we know something isn’t right, we’re even more compelled to make it right.
• Pads and tampons should be available free of charge in schools and federal buildings.
Not only that, but periods should be at least be available at a subsidised rate so that people can afford it more easily.
This means that the money-aspect of period inequality can be addressed!
• Make menstrual health and hygiene education compulsory in school for girls to know more about themselves.
It's time to stop treating people with a uterus as second-class citizens. Cause let’s be real, they’re already facing a lot more bullshit than either you, or I, would tolerate.
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