4 facts you probably didn’t know about period poverty

October 19 is the world’s first National Period Day. People across the United States are rallying to end the tampon tax and demand period products are more accessible for all. Check out the four facts you may not know about period poverty.

1) Period products are expensive and not everyone can afford them.

According to Jezebel, an average woman spends about $120 per year for pads and tampons. An additional cost of about $20 is added each year for cramp medication and other period-related side effects.

But one in four women in America cannot afford to buy these period products, as reported by PERIOD.org. Instead, they resort to using toilet paper, cardboard, or even old socks.

2) Thirty-five states in the U.S. still have the tampon tax

Part of the reason products geared for menstruation may be expensive is the sales tax, known as the tampon tax.

Advocates rallying for the elimination of this tax nationwide argue that tampons and other menstrual products are taxed like a luxury, while items like Chapsticks, Viagra, and dandruff shampoo are items exempted from the sales tax.

As NPR reports, the tampon tax is just another example of women paying extra for various products, known as the “pink tax.”

"Basically we are being taxed for being women," announced Cristina Garcia, a California assemblywoman, during a 2016 legislative season, as reported by the Washington Post. Garcia led California’s effort to eliminate the tampon tax, which became a reality in June 2019.

"This is a step in the right direction to fix this gender injustice. Women have no choice but to buy these products, so the economic effect is only felt by woman [sic] and women of color are particularly hard hit by this tax. You can't just ignore your period, it's not like you can just ignore the constant flow,” explained Garcia.

Illinois, the third state to eliminate the tampon tax, passed the bill in 2016.

But the rest of the 35 states in the U.S. have yet to end the tampon tax, and supporters for the nation’s first Period Day on October 19 organized rallies in each state in hopes to change that.

3) Period poverty and access to necessary products is an issue on college campuses, including at Elmhurst College.

In a September 24 editorial, The Leader editors called for menstrual products to be available for free of cost in all female designated bathrooms as well as gender neutral bathrooms on campus.

“What does it say about Elmhurst College’s priorities when condoms and lube are free but menstruation products are not?” the editorial questioned.

Since the editorial, reports have been made that one bathroom in the Wellness Center provides free tampons. At EC, some bathrooms also have dispensers that provide tampons and sanitary pads for 10 cents.

But students, like Jackie Jairos, argue that these measures are still not enough and are not accessible for everyone.

“I always have stuff with me, but there times where I’ve been in the bathroom and looked at the machine, and it’s empty, and how are people that need it supposed to get it?'' asked the junior EC student.

Free menstrual products in bathrooms are not new, as the Leader editorial also stated.

As of January 2018, Illinois law required all public schools to provide free period products in female bathrooms. Locally, the Elmhurst Public Library, which is minutes from the EC campus, also has tampons and pads free of charge in bathrooms.

4) Instead of waiting for governmental solutions, some people are taking upon themselves to address period poverty.

Nadya Okamoto and Vincent Forand founded PERIOD, a nonprofit organization, as high school students in 2014. Their purpose is to address the stigma of periods and raise awareness of period poverty. Okamoto was inspired to start the organization after experiencing homelessness as a high school freshman and noticing the living conditions of women.

“[There was an] unaddressed natural need of periods,” explained Okamoto in an interview with PERIOD.org.

Today, PERIOD has distributed period products for almost 700,000 periods across the country.

At EC, members of the campus community have also taken it upon themselves to provide access to menstrual products, but at a smaller scale.

For the past few months, a box of tampons and pads have emerged in the girls’ bathroom in the basement of the Hammerschmidt Chapel.

With a black Sharpie pen, the message “Take what you need” is scrawled prominently across the box.

Users have reported the box is refilled by either one person or several as a communal effort to provide free menstrual products to whoever is in need.

Sports editor Josie Zabran contributed to the reporting of this article.