Advocacy Toolkit: Period Poverty

Published: 9/27/2024

Social and economic barriers inhibit adequate access to menstrual hygiene products and education in the U.S.—particularly for vulnerable populations including school-aged individuals, those experiencing homelessness, low-income individuals, and incarcerated individuals. This is sometimes referred to as “period poverty.” ACP policy supports greater investment in public policy interventions that address social drivers of health and other factors that negatively impact health and supports federal, state, tribal, and local funding efforts to address social drivers of health.

ACTION:

ACP members can access members-only actionable materials.

Background

Menstrual hygiene products, including tampons, pads, reusable menstrual cups, and other products, are important health tools for managing periods for the more than 800,000,000 people globally who menstruate on any given day. The average person who menstruates has their period for a cumulative 7 years of their life, uses between 10 to 35 pads or tampons per cycle, and uses up to 16,800 products over the course of their lifetime at a cost of roughly $1,800 in the U.S. However, despite the role of menstrual products in maintaining hygiene and health, many Americans are unable to afford or otherwise lack access to these basic necessities. In one study, 64 percent of low-income women were unable to afford needed menstrual hygiene products in the past year while 21 percent experienced this monthly; 46 percent couldn’t afford both food and menstrual hygiene products in the past year.

Those experiencing homelessness or who are incarcerated have also reported limited access to menstrual hygiene products, especially since these products are rarely publicly funded in budgets for schools, shelters, and crisis emergency centers. They are also not readily available in all correction and detention facilities and are often prohibitively expensive given meager prison wages and inflated prices. Additionally, menstrual hygiene products are generally not covered by public health and nutritional programs and many jurisdictions do not exempt them from sales tax like other necessities.

As a result,  to resort to other unsafe or unsanitary options, including using things like rags, tissues, toilet paper, paper towels, dirty socks, used paper bags, or a single tampon or pad for longer than the recommended time. Inadequate or improper use of menstrual hygiene products can have devastating medical consequences and may possibly result in urinary tract infections, vulvar contact dermatitis, yeast infections, bacterial vaginosis, (and, in rare cases, toxic shock syndrome), and overall low quality of life.

Insufficient access to menstrual hygiene products clearly poses a threat to public health. ACP supports public policies that reduce socioeconomic inequalities, address social drivers of health, reduce health disparities, and improve health equity.

ACP has long believed that women should have access to affordable, comprehensive, and nondiscriminatory health care coverage over the course of their life. This should include access to affordable menstrual hygiene products. ACP also strongly believes that additional efforts are needed to close gaps in the knowledge related to women’s health issues.  

Federal Actions

There have been several federal actions in recent years to address “period poverty.” In 2017, the U.S. Department of Justice agreed to provide every woman incarcerated in a federal prison with menstrual products free of charge that was later codified as part of the First Step Act. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which was signed into law, included provisions allowing menstrual products to be purchased with money from health savings (HSA) and flexible spending accounts (FSA), however, most people who lack access to menstrual products also do not have these types of accounts. U.S. Representative Meng (NY-6) introduced legislation, the Menstrual Equity For All Act of 2023 (H.R. 3646) to improve access to necessary menstrual hygiene products. The  Menstrual Equity For All Act of 2023 includes several measures to address access to menstrual hygiene products, including allowing federal grant funds to be used to provide free menstrual hygiene products in schools; incentivizing colleges and universities to provide free menstrual products; ensuring access to free menstrual products for incarcerated individuals; allowing homeless shelter federal grant funds to be used to purchase menstrual products; requiring Medicaid to cover menstrual products; directing large employers (100+ employees) to provide employees with free menstrual products in the workplace; and requiring all public federal buildings to provide free menstrual products in restrooms. ACP supports this legislation which has not yet come before the House or Senate for a vote.

State Actions

Some states are trying to improve access to menstrual hygiene products by passing legislation that exempts menstrual hygiene products from state and local sales taxes. So far, 30 states have passed legislation exempting menstrual hygiene products from state and local taxes. However, there are  20 states that do not currently exempt menstrual hygiene products from state and local taxes. Proposals in multiple states have tied elimination of taxes on menstrual products with eliminating taxes on diapers, as another hygiene product that people can face significant financial barriers to accessing.

Some states have also pass laws requiring menstrual products to be provided free of charge in schools, correctional facilities, and homeless shelters. Currently, 28 states and DC have passed laws to provide free menstrual products in schools, 25 states have laws requiring free period products for incarcerated women, and 3 states require they be available at no costs in homeless shelters.

References