Nobody should be held back by their period, but the reality is different. Read on to find out the facts and what GSU is doing to combat period poverty for students at the University of Greenwich.
Nobody should be held back by their period, but the reality is different.
The interconnections of the cost-of-living crisis, the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic and the deep ingrained social stigma surrounding menstrual cycles have led to an increase in period poverty. Period poverty is defined by the organisation ‘Periods Matter’ as the lack of access to period products due to financial constraints. Unfortunately, we are living in a time where period poverty affects 12% of menstruating people in Britain (Action Aid, 2022). In addition, it was noted by YouGov that in 2022 1 in 8 people will struggle to afford period products in the next year.
So, what is GSU doing to help?
In Greenwich Students’ Union, we recognise that periods are stressful enough already, let alone not having access to the right products. We also want to allow you to be able to make informed decisions about what period products are right for you.
As such, we have located period products across areas on campus:
- Sanitary pads & tampons located in our female, accessible & gender-neutral toilets (across all three campuses).
- Menstrual cups can be accessed from GSU Students’ Union (Dreadnaught Building) on request, since we currently have limited stocks.
We try our best to stay on top of replenishing the toilets. But we do recognise that sometimes stocks are low & we haven’t had a chance to restock. Please give a friendly reminder to a member of SU staff if you notice something needs restocking!
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