Access to menstrual hygiene products is a basic human right

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Editor’s note: This article is written in the context of cisgender women, most of whom menstruate or previously have. Many trans and non-binary people also menstruate.

Menstruation is a natural process that affects many women around the world. 

Occuring once every month, the inner lining of the uterus sheds, giving way to a barrage of symptoms such as weakness, abdominal pain, cramps, and mood changes. For ages, menstruation has been associated with stereotypes. 

Around the world, there have been different opinions about menstruation, such as women being treated unjustly when menstruating, seen as having bad luck during the process, not being allowed in certain places or to do certain activities. The list goes on, varying in different cultures. 

This has led to women facing disparities during menstruation, affecting their mental and physical health.

Menstrual hygiene and the provision of sanitary products should be considered a necessity and basic human right. Not only do women face taboos and stereotypes regarding menstruation but also disparities when it comes to menstrual hygiene — depending on their socio-economic status. Unavailability of sanitary products is a big issue in both developed and developing countries, suggesting the neglect women suffer globally. 

Management of menstrual health includes both the provision of menstrual hygiene products and creating spaces to access these products. Education and wealth are some of the major contributing factors to ensuring the equitable access of menstrual health. Women from lower-level social and economic backgrounds have limited access to appropriate sanitary products, putting their health at major risk. Using expired products or relying on use of cloth pads is often the only option for women who cannot afford to buy hygiene products. 

The government should take this into account and ensure access to menstrual hygiene products in all the public washrooms and subsidize prices of sanitary products to make them more accessible. 

Health education about menstruation will also encourage women to use safer sanitation practices. It would help our health-care system by reducing the number of genitourinary infection rates amongst women and preventing serious complications like toxic shock syndrome, which occurs by using the same product for too long.

The availability of free menstrual hygiene products in workplaces has been debated in the past. Last year, the Canadian government declared all federally regulated employers are required to make free menstrual products available to workers. 

This is a step towards resolving disparities women face in their workplaces and significantly improving stresses associated with menstruation, making women more comfortable in their workplaces. Small steps like this will elevate the morale of women and result in a better workplace environment. 

Dissolving all the disparities related to women’s hygiene products by the provision of sanitary pads, tampons, and health education regarding the same would be a huge step in improving as a society. 

Accessibility of women’s hygiene products in workplaces, public washrooms, malls, and so on will also help to reduce poor menstrual health and all menstruation-related health issues. There have been enough discussions about women’s rights, it is high time that we take responsibility and action.