Need for awareness about another economic hardship, period poverty

A recent online campaign drew public attention to a poverty unique to women－period poverty. Sanitary products, which every woman needs during her period, actually pose great economic hardships on quite a few women in China.

Some people argue that a sanitary pad costs 2 yuan ($0.291) at most, and the total monthly expenditure could come to a dozen yuan, which is not a lot. However, for those who say so the price of sanitary products every month is equivalent to what they spend on a cup of coffee. And they overlook the actual income situation of a large number of people in China.

The average per capita disposable income of residents in some regions in Central and West China is still markedly lower than the national average, even if almost all the people there have been lifted above the poverty line. That means their spending power has not improved as much as the change in their economic condition indicates. For such impoverished women, sanitary products pose an additional economic burden.

Period poverty has figured in online discussions, with many suggesting reduction in prices of sanitary products. Some people called for reduction in taxes on sanitary products to ease the financial burden on women, while others suggested that the government provide them for free to poor women.

Although menstruation is a biological phenomenon every woman experiences every month, it is seldom discussed openly because of our mindset. In the absence of necessary public attention and support, women have been silently suffering period poverty for long.

Making note of and admitting to a problem is the first step toward solving it. Similarly, eliminating period poverty will require comprehensive discussion and investigation, but it is good to see that the issue is finally being addressed and drawing public attention. Society should pay greater attention to the needs of impoverished women, particularly make basic sanitary products available to them.