Subsidize Menstruation, Period.

Abstract

This work originally grew from my friend’s humiliation; on a plane for 8-hours without access to a tampon or pad, she was forced to sit in her own blood. The shame, disgust, and humiliation that women associate with their own bodies are reinforced through societal stigmatization of menstruation. Even worse, lack of access to feminine hygiene products remains a high barrier to women’s equality in health, education work and economic success. Through my Wealth, Power, and Prestige Sociology course, I began to think of this as a violation of women’s rights. Our assignment—to write a research paper that asserts a policy change that would reduce a specific form of inequality—grew from this perspective. Overall, my work, while centered on menstrual hygiene, extends beyond in order to expose this discourse as a symptom of sexual hegemony and oppression.