<
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/may/26/young-australian-women-struggling-to-afford-period-products-as-inflation-soars-survey-shows>
"Almost two-thirds of young women are struggling to afford period products as
inflation and Australia’s cost-of-living crisis continue to bite.
In an April survey of 517 menstruating adults born after 1980, Plan
International Australia found that 57% reported it was more difficult to pay
for pads, tampons and reusable menstrual health items in 2022 than in previous
years.
Increasingly unaffordable period products was a more acute problem among
younger people – those born after 1997, or Gen Z – 64% of whom said they were
finding it harder to cover the cost.
Those who earned less than $50,000 a year found it particularly difficult to
also pay for painkillers and menstrual management medication, with 47% saying
their inability to afford the medication was affecting their mental health and
wellbeing. Among members of Gen Z, 16% said it was affecting their education
and the same proportion said it affected their work.
Inflation was a key contributor to the problem, Plan International Australia’s
chief executive Susanne Legena said, but it was also a gendered issue.
“It’s a fixed cost for women and girls that you can’t avoid, so you’re very
beholden to the market in that way. It’s a cost that [women and girls] bear
that boys and men don’t have,” Legena said."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
