Research
Research into menstrual equity is crucial for education and advocacy. Understanding where we are helps us to see where we need to go. Here, you can find some of the most recent leading research into menstrual equity. Click to download the academic papers and/or visit the websites. ​
Period poverty and mental health implications among college-aged women in the United States (2021) –
BMC Women's Health
​This paper connects mental health amongst college students with the inability to meet monthly menstrual needs. While people consider menstrual care essential, the failure to cooperate with female needs results in a significant impact on mental health. In low-income settings, some women regularly fill a tampon-sized void with old rags and even their children’s diapers. Women and future generations do not deserve to grow up in a world where others like them battle severe mental health, and even die by suicide, just because they cannot acquire a so-called “basic right.”
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State of the Period: The widespread impact of period poverty on US students (2021) –
Commissioned by Thinx & PERIOD
It doesn’t matter where someone is in the world; the United States is viewed as a symbol of affluence, and every other factor that has made us believe in the “American dream.” However, our failure in placing pads, tampons, and other hygiene products into the hands of those who need it is one that opens our people up to a world of infection, challenges, and emotional anxiety. Terms such as period poverty and menstrual equity are ones that we all know exist; so why are we not doing anything about them?
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Unmet Menstrual Hygiene Needs Among Low-Income Women (2019) –Obstetrics & Gynecology
This paper, focusing on low-income women in St. Louis, MO, continues to highlight the issue that people are aware of, but remains untouched: that menstrual poverty is an issue that half our people could face, and a substantial percentage of them do. What kind of world do we live in if we accept that food and menstrual products are both vital, but we still force some women to choose between them?