Covid-19’s Affect on Period Poverty
By: Shekinah Taylor
Published: March 28, 2021
Lack of access to menstrual products:
Companies that distribute goods and services to menstruators, specifically for hygiene, have been interrupted and their trading has been debased due to the pandemic restricting their ability to maximize the number of resources that they can provide. In remote regions, this issue is amplified even more because menstrual products are already more difficult to obtain compared to urbanized areas. A common flawed perspective that is unfortunately sustained throughout today's society is that menstrual supplies are not essential products. This faulty point of view compels many supply chains that usually produce hygiene products to feel no obligation to produce them. These contributing factors all lead to the result of a severe shortage of period products and a lack of access to them for menstruators.
Price Inflation:
The global supply chains that are still producing sanitary products have unfortunately inflated the prices of their products as a result of the pandemic's effect on the economy, The initial fear Covid incited in many people caused them to stockpile important goods like sanitary and menstrual products. Due to the demand for such products being so significantly high, accessing them became a struggle for a vast amount of consumers since so many people hoarded them, but the demand also led to a further increase of price inflation by global distributors.
Resources and Safety:
Many healthcare resources have put all of their focus into dealing with Covid, but this has diverted them away from combatting health issues that involve hygiene. For instance, water, hygiene, and sanitation services have been catering to the pandemic. Due to these vital resources revolving around Covid, menstruators struggling are not provided with the same resources that would allow them to properly and safely manage menstruation as they usually would.
Education is essential to learn how to use menstrual products and to learn about menstrual cycles in general. Covid and the lockdown have led to a block of information about menstruation due to the immense amount of information provided about Covid-19. This block of information plays a detrimental role because it inhibits many menstruators from learning how to safely and properly handle their period.
Blog Sources: npr.org and borgenmagazine.com
Image Source: nytimes.com