Youth Perspectives and Experiences With Menstruation and Period Poverty

Abstract

PurposePeriod poverty is the lack of accessible menstrual education or menstrual tools. Millions of women and girls around the world experience period poverty, which can contribute to disparities in school and work performance, as well as overall quality of life. However, not much is known about youth experiences and perceptions of period poverty. This study aims to understand the personal experiences and opinions of American youth regarding knowledge about menstruation and period poverty, as well as to gauge youth attitudes of existing and future period poverty initiatives. MethodsThe MyVoice nationwide text message poll was used to ask five open-ended questions to over 1,000 youth across the United States aged 14–24 years. Responses were analyzed using content analysis by two independent researchers, and differences in coding were reviewed and resolved by discussion. ResultsOverall, 963 youth (80%) responded, and the sample was 54.7% self-reported male with an average age of 20.1 years (standard deviation = 2.3). Three main themes emerged: 1. Most youth, regardless of self-reported gender, have had conversations about periods but comfort discussing the topic varies, 2. Youths' knowledge of menstruation varies with personal experience, or lack thereof, and 3. Some youth have experience with period poverty, and most are overwhelmingly supportive of policies to improve access to period products. DiscussionThese findings suggest that normalization of discussions of menstruation, increasing awareness of the prevalence and impacts of period poverty, and greater implementation of programs to mitigate period poverty are supported by youth, and may reduce period poverty in the United States.