Health and social equity
Period Poverty
Inability to afford or access menstrual products, sanitation and education, causing missed school and work and health risks.
Definition
Period poverty is the lack of access to affordable menstrual products, safe and private sanitation facilities, and menstrual health education. It affects people who menstruate in low-income households worldwide — including in wealthy countries — and leads to missed education and work, use of unsafe substitutes, infections and stigma.
References
Overview
What it means
Period poverty sits at the intersection of poverty, gender inequality and inadequate water and sanitation. Responses range from tax removal on menstrual products and free provision in schools (Scotland made products universally free in law in 2020) to integrating menstrual health into WASH and education programmes.
How it is used
The term is used by UN agencies (UNFPA, UNICEF), NGOs and governments in menstrual health policy, and increasingly features in corporate social programmes and ESG reporting on community and workforce wellbeing.
Why it matters
Menstrual health is a basic condition for equal participation in education and work; addressing period poverty is a concrete, low-cost lever for gender equality with measurable social returns.
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