Menstrual Equality: What is it?

What is Menstrual Equity? 

Menstrual equity refers to equal access to menstrual products and comprehensive reproductive health rights. This accessibility is a key step towards promoting equity in vulnerable communities, who often face barriers due to the high cost of these products and lack of education. 

Menstrual equity is also the removal of the stigma that comes with seeing a period such as: 

“Ew, it’s nasty,” “You can participate if you’re on your menses,” or “It smells funky.” 

Menstrual equity and education remove social barriers that being on your menstruation is unclean and unsanitary and strive to educate on the importance of equal accessibility for all. Without menstrual equity, people are prone to infections and the ability to have a clean and safe cycle. 

Menstrual equity means affordability and accessibility; just as food is necessary, so are menstrual products. Menstrual equity is the beginning to the end of menstruation poverty by changing policies that cater to providing period products in public places, providing comprehensive sexual education in schools to raise awareness, and even publicly addressing the stigma that comes with girls being on their periods.

Edited by: Esther Chung