Women+ speak about menstruation poverty: “I use my children’s diapers because there’s nothing else available.”
These are the stories of the many women who have shared their stories with Cycle. Women in the Netherlands, just like you and me. Who have their periods but don’t have proper access to menstruation products, because they don’t have enough money. They use their children’s diapers, pads made from old t-shirts, or nothing and stay inside. Even in 2024, this remains to be topical. Sadly enough.
Janice (31), mother of two children of 3 and 6 years old.
At a young age, I ended up in a group home after my mother ended up in jail abroad. By way of assisted living, I got a house of my own at 20 years old. After all of the foster homes, it was nice to get a restful place for myself. But, by then I had a debt of five thousand euros, so it never truly got restful.
“I’d only change the tampon when it started to smell. I had to be frugal with them.”
I’m from a very poor family and have always lived with little. There wasn’t always money for food and drink, and definitely not for menstruation products. As a young girl, I’d often use cotton rags made from old clothes to catch my menstruation blood. I’d tear them into pieces and throw them away after a day. At school, I’d sometimes get a tampon, because they knew about my situation. I’d be very careful with it and keep it in until the tampon began to smell.
To this day, I still have to choose what to spend my money on. I have 50 euros per week, and that’s tough with two young children. Do I buy pads, shampoo, or food? In that case, I’d go for food, for my children. I just change my pad less frequently or skip washing my hair for a while, because that way I can save up more money for food.
Marie, 54 with three daughters aged 14, 16, and 20, single mother.
I’m a single parent with three daughters who live at home. At the time of this interview, all three of my daughters are on their period at the same time, and that’s a struggle. The youngest has a heavy flow and just needs good products. On the heavier days, the cheap pads, which I can just about afford, don’t suffice. I buy those for myself, but they don’t work for my daughters. They often have ‘accidents’ at school and during the night.
“I don’t like it, pocket money is for things that are more fun than pads.”
They sometimes get a bit of pocket money from their dad, which they use to buy the more expensive products. I find that very troubling because pocket money is meant for fun stuff! I do what I can for them, for example by only having them pay the difference between the cheap product and the more expensive one. I feel terrible about not being able to do more for them.
Fatima (51), uses a washcloth as an alternative to pads.
When I don’t get any at the food bank, I don’t have any menstrual products. In that case, which happens a lot, I use a cloth or toilet paper. I am at the start of the perimenopause, and I currently have a heavy flow. When I’m at home, I can keep it under control with a washcloth. I can’t go outside during my period. I don’t have pads, and whenever I get any from the food bank they tend to be too thin, which makes me leak anyway. So, I stay inside until it’s over.
Struggle with lots of blood loss? You can often do something about it.
Sara (30)
As a teen girl, you haven’t figured out how everything works, and you frequently come face to face with a surprise when your menstruation comes through. If you don’t come from a wealthy family, you often don’t have any money or pads in your bag. In my school, there’d sometimes be menstrual products in the bathroom. In those cases, I’d stretch the use of one or two thin pads out over the school day. Way too long!
“Toilet paper in your pants makes you walk funny, and you’re constantly scared of leaking.”
But, I’ve also frequently been in situations where I didn’t have supplies, and I also didn’t have any money to buy them. I’d use toilet paper, which isn’t healthy or hygienic. Besides, it makes you walk funny, and I was constantly scared of leaking. I was too scared to bring it up with teachers, and I also wouldn’t call in sick because of it. Looking back, I find that hard to swallow. It’s likely that there are still girls today who have the same problem that I had. Sure, there are older women+ too, but when you’re at that age the shame is even bigger. In the future, I hope that schools and employers will always have a stash at the ready for these girls and women+.
Zigany (54), married, four children between 14 and 22 years old.
“I myself use cloths, which I wash, and toilet paper if I don't have any other options.”
Things aren’t easy for us. We’d struggle a lot without the food bank. Three years ago, our company, a publishing company, went bankrupt. Before that, we had it good. But, now it’s all different. It’s very tough financially. Two of my children are students, and they have to pay for it all on their own. We think that it’s incredibly important that they get an education, and we do all that we can to support them. Thankfully, they get a lot of help from others. Without that help, it wouldn’t be possible. I can’t always buy myself menstruation products. My daughters have to pay for them themselves. I use cloths, which I wash after use, and toilet paper if I don’t have any other options. But I stay positive, it’ll all work out in the end.
Souad, mother of four young children, lives off of benefits.
“Each month, I use my children’s diapers.”
I have four children and not a lot of income. The food bank is very important to me, we wouldn’t make ends meet without it. Each month, we have to decide how to spend the little money that we have. I prefer to spend it on my kids. On food and drinks, but for example also on diapers. I want them to suffer from our money shortage as little as possible. I don’t have room for pads in my budget, which is why I often use my children’s diapers or reuse cotton rags made from old clothes. I’m embarrassed by it, but there’s nothing else I can do.
Now that you’re here. Tuesday the 28th of May 2024 is International Menstrual Hygiene Day. A day during which attention is drawn to breaking the taboo surrounding menstruation, and the lack of menstrual products for many women+ worldwide.
This year, too, Cycle will devote attention to menstrual poverty in the Netherlands. You know it as well as we do, it’s bloody time to do something about it.
