Time to talk about periods with no shame
We need to end the silence and stigma over periods, argues Zoe Tooke.
I am one of the lucky ones in this day and age. I have a supportive family and enough money to take care of myself. My period doesn't bring about anxiety about whether I can afford the basic sanitary towels or tampons. I don't have immobilizing pain. I have it easy.
I have been raised by a strong woman to be an even stronger woman that sticks up for those around the world who don't have a voice to speak out about the blatant discrimination and stigmatization of a biologically beautiful thing. Our periods.
Some of you may feel uncomfortable with just the word ‘period’. You may prefer me to use ‘time of the month’ or some other distasteful euphemism to make women feel as if they are weak or subordinate to other members of society. The average girl in the UK gets her period at the age of 12. Growing up in a world where ‘time of the month’ is the appropriate excuse for feeling the symptoms of a period is disgraceful. Mothers of men, daughters of fathers, are brought up in a world where they cannot exercise their right to freedom from discrimination. Two million girls in education have missed a day of school because of their period - over half of those produced an excuse other than that they were on their period: To which I only have one word in response. Horrifying.
Allowing society to raise young girls to be ashamed of their period is absurd. I blame the people that raise them and those in powerful positions that have the authority to do something but refrain from doing it just because it may damage a reputation or two. Periods cause girls to be absent on an average of three days out of a term in contrast to one or two days when suffering with a cold. People see that statistic and still believe periods aren’t an issue. Some of you may see the numbers and still come up with excuses justifying the lack of sympathy. Periods may be an issue to women, but they are also men's problem. Single dads, fathers, husbands and partners of women and girls are affected, so why are we not providing help?
Lack of education for boys and men is part of the problem. How many of you in primary school were separated when there were classes about periods? If so, why weren't boys invited to the period party? Education is the key to moving forward.
Nowadays, period poverty is more prevalent than ever. The cost of living is increasing prices of the bare necessities and that includes sanitary products. However, this cannot be the only excuse for the disparities between sanitary towels and other toiletries like toilet paper. Political, religious, and personal views may vary on the subject of women’s period awareness, however that doesn't stop the fact that accessibility to sanitation is a human right, for men and women. In countries like Algeria, the worst country for period affordability, period products cost local women around 14.8% or their monthly income. In societies where women are already valued less than men and paid an unequal wage, period products can be seen as a luxury and completely unaffordable in comparison to food and water.
To change we need to fight for it. I - along with women across the world - both in history and in the present, continue to be discriminated against.
We need to educate not only others but ourselves.
We need to educate our children.
We need to educate our leaders, the people that can make these changes governed by law, to stop the prejudice from persisting.
We need change for ourselves, our children, our future and most importantly to feel safe in our own skin.
We need to feel safe in order for our voices to be heard. So, today I speak on the behalf of those who do not feel safe, on behalf of those who have fought in our history books, for those fighting now, for women and men who want to help: Periods are not something that can be stopped, but intolerance and ignorance of them can be.
Zoe Tooke