( ENSPIRE Health and Wellness ) State Of The Period Study Releases New Study On Access To Period Products
ENSPIRE Contributor: Gabrielle Maya
Thinx and PERIOD. have launched the third installment of the State of the Period Study. According to this new study, the majority of Black (70%) and Hispanic (64%) teens reported that too many people have to miss valuable school time. This is because of a lack of access to period products. Moreover, over a quarter of Black (33%) and Hispanic (28%) teens struggle to access period products, higher than the national average (23%). Period poverty and stigma are critical issues in the United States; teens of color and lower income are impacted.
Thinx, Thinx Teens™, Thinx for All™, and Thinx for All Leaks™ is a brand that innovates reusable and comfortable menstruation products to market. PERIOD. is a nonprofit with over 400 youth-led chapters to eradicate period poverty they distribute millions of menstrual products to grassroots organizations. Thinx joined PERIOD.’s Corporate Advisory Leadership Board (CALB) to give insight and advance on the matter and find new constructive ways to fight against period poverty and the stigma. Firstly, Thinx launched a pledge where the brand will donate $1 to PERIOD. Every time someone reshares using #StateofthePeriod. Thinx donated over 110,000 pairs of period underwear to PERIOD. and the Alliance for Period Supplies and other organizations.
”Gaps in access to period education and supplies continue to pose risks to people’s health – especially young teens – but it’s promising to see improvements have been made over the past two years,” said Meghan Davis, Thinx CEO. “As a brand committed to addressing period poverty and stigma head-on, we’re launching our social pledge as an ally of PERIOD., working together to spark conversation and broaden awareness.”
ENSPIRE has continued this conversation with Thinx CEO Meghan Davis, to discuss the factors surrounding low access to period products for marginalized groups, Thinx period products and how they are essential, the collaboration with PERIOD., and more.
What are some factors that make it difficult for Black, Hispanic, and low-income female teens to access period products?
As we saw in this year’s State of the Period Survey, 23% of teens struggle to access period products, with teens of color and lower-income students more likely to be impacted. While the study doesn’t reveal the factors behind these disparities, there are several reasons that we know exist. This includes educational disparities and not enough widespread funding or programs set up to ensure access to period products. By teaming up with organizations like PERIOD., we hope to continue to close the gap and advocate for policy changes to help combat period poverty nationwide.
What makes Thinx the best period product brand to collaborate with PERIOD.?
At Thinx, we speak directly about menstruation, and bladder leaks to normalize these topics. We also believe the first step to solving a problem is recognizing you have one, and America has a period poverty problem that we’re not talking about nearly enough. That’s why we’ve long partnered with PERIOD. to drive awareness.
Last year, we collaborated on the third installment of our State of the Period report, which is the only publicly available study tracking the impact of period poverty among U.S. teenagers. Knowledge is power, and by better educating ourselves and spreading awareness about period poverty, we hope to provoke lasting change. We’re so proud that the study has often been used by policymakers, journalists, and others to understand better and begin to address period poverty.
When did the collaboration between Thinx and PERIOD. Begin?
We kicked off our partnership and released the first State of the Period Survey with PERIOD. in 2019, with last year being the survey’s third installment. We look forward to continuing our partnership and working side by side to address period poverty and stigma head-on, and just as importantly, spark conversation and broaden awareness.
What types of educational resources and services does PERIOD. Provide?
As you know, in our biannual survey, Thinx teamed up with PERIOD. to report on insights and changes in period poverty and stigma. We continue working on improving menstrual equity and raising awareness of period poverty to close the educational gap. PERIOD. offers a variety of educational resources on their website, see period.org. PERIOD. helps equip and train young people with the resources to end period poverty in their lifetime.
PERIOD. also hosts educational events both in person and virtually through their hundreds of local chapters worldwide. In regards to services, PERIOD. donates products in bulk to organizations across the country and around the world that directly serve people who menstruate.
How will PERIOD. and Thinx continue their advocacy to fight the period poverty gap and stigma?
As we know, the first step to combating period stigma is to encourage open, honest conversations surrounding periods, we will continue to work together closely and use our joint platforms to do so. Last year, Thinx launched a pledge on Instagram to donate $1, up to $10,000, to PERIOD. each time someone reshared the State of the Period Survey results to help spread awareness of period poverty and stigma’s impact on women and teens. In total, we donated over 185,000 pairs of period underwear to PERIOD. and the Alliance for Period Supplies (APS), as well as other grassroots organizations.
In addition, Michela Bedard, Executive Director of PERIOD. says,”We are excited to continue our partnership with Thinx, launching the third installment of The State of the Period survey. Importantly, the study showed that young people desire menstrual health education, access to products in schools, and are less ashamed to discuss periods than older generations, which is what we’ll continue to fight for.” Furthermore, to continue to spread awareness of period products, Thinx launched an ad campaign called “The New Language of Period” to show parents and teens that having open conversations about periods doesn’t have to be awkward.
Follow Thinx on Instagram for new product updates and closing the period poverty gap. For more information about giveback programs sponsored by Thinx, please visit www.thinx.com/thinx/giverise. For more resources and to explore how you can help with period poverty, you can visit PERIOD.
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