With great expectations at the start and mass disappointment the sun has literally ghosted us for the whole summer holidays, we are counting down the days until kids return to school.
I’m not a terrible parent and I love my kids dearly but the return of some structure and a normal snack cupboard I am very much welcoming.
Going back to school is an anxious time for the kids – new teachers, changing friendship dynamics, important exam years to name a few but it there is another level of stress some girls have to deal with.
Period poverty is a widespread issue in the UK – with 49% of girls having missed a day of school due to periods and 1 in 10 women aged 14-21yrs unable to afford period products (Mollie Rose).
It’s hard to believe some girls resort to using newspapers, toilet roll and even cut up t-shirts and socks to cope with their periods. This is NOT OK.
There is still so much stigma and awkwardness around periods. Hiding pads under armpits to walk from classroom to bathroom, unable to take ibuprofen in front of your male mates without lying; headache was the one we used most often and the cliched swimming triggers. Add in not being able to use the most effective products for sport and lets face it, just day to day, it becomes overwhelming. Overbearing. Worrying.
“Women stick tampons up their sleeves from a young age. It is culturally ingrained for us to stay quiet about them. We have been consciously taught periods are shameful and embarrassing and should be a silent topic”. Amika George, activist.
We can’t imagine in the UK we are still faced with period poverty. A survey conducted by The Youth Sport Trust found that 37% of girls have avoided taking part in school sport activities because of their periods.
The PUMA and Modibodi® global survey discovered 1 in 2 teens skip sport generally because of their period. For many girls, sport stops because of embarrassment, pain or fear of leaks during their period. Female players find the fear of leaking psychologically impacts their sporting performance.
We’ re no sportswomen but we have skipped the gym when our insides feel like they’re falling out and making sure we are wearing black leggings is standard now at that time of the month.
There are several charities out there which help which we have listed at the end but we have chosen to work with one closer to home. The Grace Period Project helps to reduce period poverty and raise the profile and understanding of periods in our community.
We are co-ordinating a collection of period products for the charity as well as launching a special edition period pouch where we donate from every sale. It seems so simple and it really should be. It really is a bloody mess.