Menstrual poverty around the world in ten key figures

Impact on physical and mental health

A new report from Plan International, an NGO that works to advance children’s rights and equality between girls and boys, estimates that more than 500 million girls and women in the world are in a situation of menstrual poverty. More specifically, this means that one in four menstruating girls or women cannot access products and equipment considered essential, which can have serious consequences on physical and mental health, but not only.

An issue for sexual health

On World Menstrual Hygiene Day, Plan International Australia explored the impact of humanitarian crises on menstrual poverty through a survey of 168 experts working with women and girls in 48 offices national and regional NGOs in the countries of the South. More than half of the respondents (51.6%) reported the use of makeshift materials, such as used fabrics or rags, to make up for the lack of sanitary protection, and more than a fifth (22 .9%) report that “adolescent girls engage in survival sex to pay for menstrual health products.”

The price of a car

There is no official data on the cost of menstrual hygiene, but several estimates compare this average cost to that of a car, new or used depending on the calculations. In France, a report published by the National Assembly estimates between 8,000 to 23,000 euros the budget allocated to menstruation by a woman throughout her life. A cost which is based on an average of five days of menstruation per month, at the rate of five menstrual protections per day, over a period of 38 years, and takes into account “the renewal of underwear and bed linen, as well as the possible purchase of painkillers and check-ups with a gynecologist”.

A study conducted by Plan International Australia estimates that a woman spends an average of $10,000 over her lifetime on menstrual products, without taking into account possible pain treatments. The UK, a survey relayed by the HuffPost figures this budget at 18,450 pounds sterling, including periodic protection, painkillers, and the renewal of underwear. In any case, these figures show how much these expenses can weigh on the budget of millions of women around the world.

An impact on school absenteeism?

A report published in 2014 by Unesco reports that a lack of facilities in schools can lead to school absenteeism for menstruating girls, while pointing out that it is difficult to establish an exact link between absenteeism and menstruation. The fact remains that numerous studies, in particular carried out in India or in some africa country, testify to the impact of menstrual precariousness and the lack of equipment on the schooling of girls, whether it is absenteeism or dropping out of school. A figure could also support this statement: Unicef noted that one in three schools does not have “adequate toilets” in the world, and that 23% of schools have no toilet. Something that makes it difficult, if not impossible, to manage good menstrual hygiene.

Menstrual poverty in France

France is not spared by menstrual precariousness, since nearly 4 million menstruating women aged 18 to 50 are affected in France in 2023, according to a survey produced by OpinionWay for the association Rules Elementary. A figure that has doubled in just two years. If menstrual precariousness particularly affects young women aged 18 to 24 and single mothers, all generations and situations combined, more than 2.6 million women in France have been forced to give up buying periodic protection for financial reasons in 2023. And the inflationary context could make things worse, since the survey reveals that more than 1.2 million French women think they can find themselves in a situation of menstrual precariousness in the next twelve months.