A closer look at period poverty

As essential expenses such as housing and food become increasingly costly, poverty continues to be a persistent and ongoing problem in the Netherlands. For some, this means struggling to cover even their most essential needs. 

One basic need is menstruation.

For nearly half the world’s population, period products are as necessary as toilet paper or a toothbrush. Yet menstruation continues to be shrouded by stigma. People feel shame about experiencing poverty, which adds another layer of silence, leaving those who menstruate and struggle to afford the products they require feeling even more isolated.

Here are answers to some commonly asked questions:

Period poverty is not having regular access to the products and information needed for a safe and healthy period. It’s about having enough money, but also about understanding your period, including what’s normal and what’s not. It’s about knowing what products are right for you, and where to get them, including for free, if needed.

In 2022, Neighborhood Feminists conducted the first-ever quantitative study on period poverty in Amsterdam. The results? Over a quarter of people who menstruate in Amsterdam were unable to afford period products one or more times in the previous 12 months. Another 38% managed, but only by making cuts to other essentials like groceries (38%), health products (22%), or school supplies (11%). Among 12–17-year-olds, the number jumped to 70%.

In 2024, we conducted the largest-ever national study on the issue, which showed that our advocacy and direct aid contributed to nearly halving the rate of period poverty in Amsterdam. In two years, it went from 27% to 14% in two years, just one percent above the current national average of 13%. 

Nationally, some 765,000 people face challenges accessing the products they need. One in eight–or 400,000 people–are outright unable to afford them.

But the problem is by no means limited to the Netherlands. Co-authors (and NF advisors) Maria Carmen Punzi and Nicole Spohr, PhD presented their findings on period poverty in the EU in a first-ever European Parliament session on menstrual justice. While the research was commissioned by Members of European Parliament, it was also part of actions taken by #menstrualmatterseu, a new, broad coalition of European period poverty groups, including Neighborhood Feminists. 

Neighborhood Feminists tackles period poverty with both immediate action and longer term solutions.

To meet urgent needs, we maintain 65 Menstruation Stations, which are strategically located self-serve cabinets stocked with free period products. These highly visible Stations don’t just provide essential supplies; they also help normalize conversations about menstruation and period poverty.

Beyond direct action, we work toward structural change through advocacy. Using our research data and on-the-ground experience, we develop sustainable solutions with legislators, businesses, and other non-profits.

We also raise awareness, both online and within communities. By sharing knowledge and breaking down stigmas, we help people to take control of their menstrual health, improve well-being, and more fully participate at school, work and in society.

Just as people don’t hoard toilet paper or the free forks and straws available at the supermarket, we experience little issue with basic necessities like pads or tampons. While an individual might take more than they directly need, that can be in order to distribute to others in need. Operating since 2019, and our self-serve Stations since 2021, we have seen that in practice, the need far outweighs the low actual risk of misuse. 

Periods aren’t one-size-fits-all, and neither are the costs. Over a lifetime, the average person uses around 12,000 pads or tampons. In 2022, we reported that this adds up to a lifetime expense of €480-5,520.  The wide range is because some people have specific medical conditions or medical needs, such as a tendency for yeast infections, and can need specific products that are hypoallergenic or scent-free; these products are much more expensive.

The monthly cost averages roughly €3.93 per person. And that’s excluding other related necessities, such as pain relief. 

When you’re struggling financially, every cent counts. That €3.93 could otherwise cover three loads of laundry, five to seven warm showers – or three breakfasts for a child.

Poverty is complex and often hidden, even though it can affect all aspects of a person’s life. We have always advocated for increasing the minimum wage to better reflect the actual cost of living. This is one necessary part of a structural, national approach to tackling poverty overall and period poverty in particular.

Period poverty is caused by a lack of money, but it directly impacts individual opportunity. It’s also a matter of public health.  Whether or not people have enough money, however, they do continue to menstruate. So our work continues, as well.

Put differently: just because our great-grandparents didn’t have access to health treatments, doesn’t mean we and our children shouldn’t benefit from developments in medicine. 

Changes and innovations happen over time, and they make new opportunities possible (and policy changes) logical. Reducing period poverty positively impacts us all as a society, even if we do not immediately see that, through benefits like increased productivity and reduced gender inequality.

As our research shows, the impact is significant. Lack of proper period products can lead to serious health issues—our research found that six in ten people who struggle to afford products turn to unsafe alternatives such as wadded tissues, also internally. This can lead to infections and an increase in pain and healthcare costs. Period poverty also limits participation in society. People miss days at work or school, students underperform in school, and opportunities are lost.

Because not all women menstruate, and not everyone who menstruates is a woman. Trans men and non-binary people can have periods too. We fight for equal access to period products for everyone who needs them—no matter their gender. 

Advocating equal access to period products for all who menstruate does not suddenly result in less acknowledgement, access, or fewer rights for women and girls who menstruate.

No one should have to struggle with period poverty—our friends, our family, no one. The more we talk about it, the easier it becomes for everyone, including men, to be part of the solution. In fact, men are a necessary part of the solution.

Some argue that there’s no equivalent program for men, like free razors. But shaving is a choice. Menstruation isn’t. Period poverty is about public health, not aesthetics. Lack of access to period products affects school, work, and everyday life. That’s why they should be as readily available as toilet paper or hand soap.

Governments already help meet basic needs, by supporting shelters and food banks. Ensuring access to needed period products is a matter of public health. 

To be clear, this isn’t about removing personal responsibility. It’s about giving people the ability to take responsibility for themselves. That’s why access to products should also come with practical education. 

Structurally tackling period poverty isn’t about charity, it’s about helping to ensure we live in a society where people can meet their basic needs and live productive lives with a basic level of dignity. 

NF advisor and menstrual health researcher Maria Carmen Punzi recently spoke at Maastricht University. Have a listen as Maria Carmen explains the ways systemic inequality is tied to menstrual health and even institutionalized within our society, how this can be changed in concrete terms, and what is already happening right now. Got more questions? Let’s talk about it.