Beyond Taboos: Women’s Empowerment in the Battle Against Period Poverty
Written by Arvhi Mega Utami, Vice President of FPCI Brawijaya 2023
The difficulty in accessing sanitary products for women is still a prevalent issue in Indonesia. Approximately 1 in 3 women face period poverty. According to the United Nations Population Fund, period poverty is a condition where women struggle to access sanitary products such as pads, tampons, menstrual cups, toilet facilities, and proper disposal methods for menstrual products.
These obstacles create risks to reproductive health, lower self-confidence among adolescent girls, and the potential for female students to miss school. Around 80% of girls report being absent from school for one to two days during menstruation. Many women lack the ability to manage menstruation hygienically in most schools in Indonesia.
In 2015, UNICEF Indonesia conducted a study revealing that almost every girl never changed her pad at school due to inadequate toilets, insufficient water for washing pads, uncertainty about disposal methods, or a lack of safe disposal facilities. Additionally, menstrual pain and the unavailability of spare pads when needed are additional reasons why female students choose to be absent from school. Many in society still consider menstruation as dirty and a topic that cannot be openly discussed.
UNICEF Indonesia found that 25% of teenage girls never discussed menstruation with anyone before experiencing their first period, and 17% were unaware that menstruation is a physical sign of puberty. Apart from a lack of open communication about menstruation, many teenage girls do not receive accurate information on maintaining hygiene and health during menstruation.
This is evident in a further UNICEF study, which showed that only two-thirds of urban teenage girls and only 41% of rural girls changed pads at least every four to eight hours or when the pad became soiled.
Besides feeling awkward due to menstruation and the lack of
supportive facilities, this may be due to concerns about the perceived wastefulness of using pads if changed according to recommended usage standards.
Women spend 1.7% of their monthly income on purchasing sanitary products. Women experiencing heavy menstrual flow and needing frequent pad changes face greater financial challenges, as they have to buy more pads. If they extend the use of products for several hours longer, it may have a greater impact on their health, leading to vulva irritation, vaginal discomfort, or even other dangerous sexually transmitted diseases.
Menstrual hygiene products are actually a basic necessity, not a luxury, as menstruation is a physiological process integral to the female reproductive system. Unfortunately, assistance for these products still lacks government subsidies. In rural areas, making sanitary products using materials like cloth, towels, leaves, newspapers, tissue, sponges, sand, ash, and more is common.
Better access to menstrual products and information about hygiene and menstruation management are crucial in Indonesia, especially in rural communities. Recognizing the biological and basic needs differences between women and men is crucial for the human rights of women to be taken more seriously.
Period poverty is not only a national issue but a global problem that requires critical attention.
On a global scale, approximately 3.5 billion women undergo monthly menstruation. According to the nonprofit organization Days for Girls, more than 500 million women and girls, constituting nearly 25% of all individuals experiencing menstruation, face the challenge of period poverty. This means that over 500 million women lack access to essential feminine hygiene products.
This phenomenon is also encompassed within the UN’s SDGs, as it involves elements of poverty, health, education, gender equality and water and
sanitation.
- Goal №1 : No Poverty
Period poverty directly relates to poverty alleviation efforts. Limited access to affordable menstrual products exacerbates financial burdens on women and girls, particularly those in low-income communities.
- Goal №3: Good Health and Wellbeing
Period poverty poses risks to women’s reproductive health. Lack of access to sanitary products can lead to infections and other health issues, underscoring the importance of managing menstrual health for overall well-being.
- Goal №4 : Quality Education
The inability to manage menstruation hygienically can lead to school absences among girls. Addressing period poverty is crucial for ensuring that girls have equal access to education, contributing to the goal of quality education for all.
- Goal №5: Gender Equality
Period poverty is inherently linked to gender inequality. Women and girls face unique challenges related to menstruation, and addressing period poverty is a step towards achieving gender equality by ensuring equal opportunities and rights.
- Goal №6: Clean Water and Sanitation
Adequate sanitation facilities and access to clean water are essential for proper menstrual hygiene. Period poverty highlights the need for improved water and sanitation infrastructure to support women’s health.
The management of menstrual health emerges as a critical component in achieving these SDGs by 2030. By addressing period poverty, nations contribute to broader efforts aimed at supporting women’s needs. The interconnected nature of these goals underscores the significance of recognizing and addressing period poverty as an integral part of a holistic approach to global development.
Addressing this crisis is not solely the responsibility of the government but also requires an active role from the market and society to make a significant impact in minimizing or even eliminating period poverty. There are many steps the government can take to address this crisis.
For example, the government could provide adequate infrastructure and access to menstrual and sanitation products and facilities, encourage the implementation of comprehensive reproductive health curricula in schools, and provide subsidies for menstrual products.
On the other hand, the market can play a crucial role by providing information about menstruation through its products. The market can also collaborate with the government to ensure that people have easier access to these products.
Furthermore, individuals in society, especially women, play a vital role in highlighting the issue of period poverty. By courageously addressing this issue, the negative stigma associated with menstruation can diminish, and awareness that menstruation is not a taboo topic can grow in society.
Moreover, campaigns conducted by the community related to period poverty can pressure the government to design policies and provide more friendly sanitary facilities and products.
