Four hundred and fifty-one. That is the average number of periods a woman will have in her lifetime. Periods are not just a bodily function — they also bring pain, mood changes and, for many, financial burdens. No one should have to bear the economic toll of menstruation alone, yet many students across the country, including here at Georgetown University, do.
It is the responsibility of the university to provide adequate access and resources for all students more consistently, including products in all restrooms, dorms and student centers, along with a dedicated fund for students in need. Access shouldn’t be a privilege, it’s a necessity.
Menstrual products are expensive and are taxed as a luxury item in 21 states, exacerbating period poverty, or the lack of access to safe and hygienic menstrual products. At Walmart, a box of 50 regular Tampax tampons costs $10.47. A standard five-day period requires about 20 tampons, meaning one box lasts 2.5 cycles. With around 13 cycles per year, that is five boxes annually, or about $52.35 per year. A 2021 study estimates menstrual products cost around $6,000 over a woman’s lifetime. With white women making just 82 cents for each dollar a man makes — and women of color making even less — this clearly becomes more of an injustice than just an inconvenience.
Period poverty is not just an economic issue but a health crisis. Women forced to ration menstrual products face increased risks of infections and conditions like toxic shock syndrome, which can lead to organ failure or even death. Additionally, a recent pilot study found arsenic and lead in organic and nonorganic tampons. Menstrual products should not come at the cost of health and dignity.
On college campuses, this issue is becoming increasingly pertinent. Twenty percent of female college students said they felt forced to decide between buying necessary menstrual products and paying for other necessities like food or bills.
While Georgetown provides free menstrual products in campus restrooms, there have been many times that I, as well as my peers, have entered the bathroom only to find the plastic wall-mounted containers empty.
Washington, D.C., law requires universities to “install and maintain” these dispensers. Yet, all across campus, Georgetown fails to maintain them.
Furthermore, this law is difficult to enforce. For example, it also requires that the university have “a menstrual products poster with medically accurate information near the menstrual products dispenser.” I have seen this poster in only two bathrooms on campus.
In addition to adhering to these laws, the university should implement a comprehensive period equity initiative that expands access across campus. Beyond creating a designated fund to support students who struggle to afford period products and ensuring all bathrooms have stocked dispensers, Georgetown should commit to educational programming to destigmatize menstruation and advocate for policy changes at the national level.
While Georgetown has a relatively wealthy student population, with 74% of the student body coming from families in the top 20%, period poverty is still an issue on campus. Less than 20% of the student body come from the bottom 60%, and 39% of students receive financial aid through grants or loans. Even if only one student on campus is experiencing inadequate access to basic necessities like menstrual products, that is one Hoya too many.
Regardless of the financial spread of the student body, every student should have the products they need at their disposal, even more so when the university has the funds to make this possible.
One in five college students experiences period poverty. Period poverty is not a niche issue, it’s a campus, national and global issue. A period should never signify the end of anything — except a sentence.
Ameara Smith is a first year in the School of Foreign Service.
