Period Poverty: Media Progression
Women advocating for Period Poverty. (ITV News)
What is Period Poverty?
Period poverty is the lack of hygienic menstrual cycle products and information accessible to women and girls all over the world. This massive issue is dejectedly present in most if not all 195 countries. Over 500 million females are affected due to ignorance by the media and government’s inaction to guarantee the funds needed to offer 49% of their population a comfortable life; preventing women from various fatal diseases, without concern to “deal with” a natural cycle of the feminine reproductive system.
The staggering number of individuals unaware of this global concern is unjustifiable, prompting a long-awaited question as to why it is often unaddressed, a question that is finally being answered.
“While it had been previously thought the problem had affected one in 10 women, new research revealed that 27% of females have at times been unable to afford sanitary products.”
Credible sources such as The National Library of Medicine, present period poverty as a “A Neglected Public Health Issue” appropriately discuss the urgency of the problem, and highlight research that reveal the root of causing the misguidance by the general media, author Amirah Azzeri clearly outlined the meaning of period poverty and successfully approached her audience by starting her article with an abstract of the main subjects discussed through out the article.
Azzeri, divided the information in sections with the purpose of achieving full understanding, to what she claims to be an “unfamiliar topic” although the article was published in 2023. She states that after the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, A longstanding struggle that has persisted for decades was finally brought to light. Due to the increase of unemployment, purchasing period products became less affordable, and the frustration eventually led women to feel motivated to speak up. Azzeri affirms that research conducted proves social taboos and stigmas to be the main reasons as to why relevant journalism corporations are steering clear of addressing this significant issue.
This article extensively explains the sources of judgement, with a special focus on the religious perspective and the progression that has been a result of advocacy for women rights through period poverty protests.
In the Islam community, for decades women were seen as sexual objects and servants to masculine domination. However, Azerri discusses how the media's redirection of focus to female menstruation has shown great impact, even encouraging The Prophet Muhammad to deliberate on menstruation as opposite to impurity or shame.
Although, its unfortunate that it took years to bring attention to the suffering that many women and girls go through 12 times a year; it is thrilling to perceive the new strategies being explored online to spread awareness, including one of which I personally consider the most effective PATHOS.
The short film Period poverty: a journey through the pain, struggle and taboo is a great example of the creative methods various less known media sources like DAZED are using to portray a clear vision of this public health struggle.
Director Libby Burke created an emotional film that explores the feelings and process of a teenage girl that lacks the resources that millions like her also need. Burke excelled at illustrating her experience through vivid lenses that portrayed the dire consequences caused by the societal constraints on menstruation. Her work effectively moves the audience and involves another standpoint on period poverty, being the mental stress it generates in every girl living within this injustice.
It has been proven that girls are often absent from school, reject extra-curricular activities and isolate themselves due to the fear of embarrassment “if they bleed through their clothes”. Overall, research demonstrates that period poverty has caused psychological effects in 7 of every 10 teenage girls living in low-income communities. Anxiety, panic-attacks, depression are just consequences of the constant worry they undergo, and Burke was definitely able to exemplify it, through proper usage of dialogue, sound- effects, and camera angles that truly transmitted the frustration that the main character expressed.
MEDIA CALLING FOR ACTION
Nowadays, it's remarkable how profoundly social media shapes societal influence and the power that big broadcasting sources like CNN, Telemundo, ABC News and many other have on impacting the mindsets of world populations, meaning greater change among our communities would be expected if the support from these companies didn’t remain unseen, yet this has lead to the formation of non-profit organizations dedicated to providing this information and resources to women around the world, which have created safe outlets and continue everyday to emerge knowledge and call for action.
Menstrual doulas, feminine activists and a world of leaders have developed ways to involve period poverty in the media, websites like period.org, globalcitizen.org or allianceforperiodsupplies.org all have embraced their goal and utilized direct responses and favorable results seen within beneficiaries to convey and successfully encourage many to donate and contribute to the change.
“ The government, in collaboration with a nongovernment organization (NGO), needs to provide free menstrual products in public places, such as public lavatories, schools, and workplaces, for easier accessibility.”
There is no doubt, that there is still a long journey ahead to achieve full political understanding and support from many governments around the world. Over the past years progress has been present, but millions of young girls are still developing not only mental but physical illnesses due to lack of menstrual guidance, and it is in the hands of journalists globally to continue to explore methods that will influence and inspire others to contribute to providing more comfortable and healthier lives.
