Period Poverty is when girls have little access to period products, or they do not have the proper awareness and education about periods.

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During Covid-19, the issue of period poverty worsened as many people lost jobs or had to shut down businesses which affected their income. For most low-income women, buying necessities including food and electricity were more prioritized than menstrual products during the pandemic, which led to women using unsanitary methods to manage their periods. Women not being able to afford menstrual products brings a negative effect for their health.

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Not having access to period products causes girls and women to use unsafe products. They have to use other materials including paper towels and cardboard. So many countries are having issues with providing spaces for girls to take care of their needs when menstruating. When schools and other buildings do not have clean water, girls must wear their products for a longer amount of time, affecting their health as using these products for too long increases their chance of getting an infection.

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Period stigma is when women feel ashamed and embarrassed about their periods because they think periods are unclean. This leads to women not wanting to discuss their periods even though they could have a lack of access to products and need help. Another example of period stigma is when women believe periods are private and should not be talked about with others. Girls usually learn from their mothers about menstruation, so this period stigma causes less information to be shared and possibly even inaccurate information. 

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At certain work places, women that have less access to period products may not be able to complete a full day of work and it may affect how many days they are absent each month. Women may experience stress, social isolation, depression, and anxiety because of the menstrual inequities.

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The lack of education about periods includes not knowing how to take care of yourself when on your period and not having a place to learn more about periods. Not having menstrual education is a key factor that contributes to period poverty. The lack of education also causes negative period stigmas to be created. Girls that have a lack of education about periods may not get the help they need.

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Typically, higher-income women have an area to take care of their menstrual needs while lower-income women may not. Furthermore, about 12% of the population in the U.S. uses food stamps. Food stamps help buy groceries and other necessities. Menstrual products are considered non-essentials, so they are not covered by food stamps. Some women will have to sell their food stamps to earn money in order to buy period products.

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The Tampon Tax, which is when sales tax is applied to tampons and period products, leads to period products being an even bigger cost. Period products are not thought of as essentials, but are instead thought of as luxury items which is why the sales tax is applied to them. Food and medical products are considered essential so sales tax is not applied to those products. Fortunately, several states in the U.S. have now removed the Tampon Tax.