GEO: Tackling period poverty, period stigma ...more boundary pushing

[Candidpeel]

The government equality office is tweeting about its Period Poverty Taskforce, whose 'stigma' workstream has just launched twitter.com/GEOgovuk/status/1171372416372740102

I am deeply suspicious of the good faith of the current fashionable focus on "period poverty" because

1. It always seems to be promoted by organisations like GEO, Girlguiding, Rights Info etc... that are at the forefront of erasing the idea that girls and women exist as a sex.

1. It tends to go along with the use of "gender neutral" language for this most sexed of activities i.e. 'menstruators', 'everyone who needs period products etc....'

1. It is a non issue. Sanpro is cheap. No one in the UK is tipped into poverty by the cost of sanpro. No one who can afford to eat etc... can not afford a few quid a month for sanpro. Yes there is poverty, but 'period poverty' is not a specific kind of poverty.

1. Now this stigma thing.....

yes stigma around menstruation should be removed. Girls should not be ashamed or frightened of menstruation.

But the taboo about talking about menstruation is also linked to privacy.

It is not appropriate for adults to talk to young people about sex and about intimate aspects of their body, and not talking about periods as a general topic of conversation is part of this.

These organisations promoting the idea that people of either 'gender' can menstruate, and that you can't tell what sex anyone is anyway, and that male people should be allowed in girls toilets....... it all breaks down barriers

And now they will be arguing that teachers, youth workers and peer leaders 'of both genders' talk to girls about their periods?? And if those girls feel uncomfortable about it are they just exhibiting the taboo and stigma that GEO wants to break down?? And if girls can be told to get over their old fashioned discomfort about talking about periods with adult men, shouldn't they also get over their old fashioned discomfort about discussing other sensitive sexual topics

..... you see where this is going?

It only needed a quiet word to the school secretary and many girls did this on occasion when caught short

Yes this. My experience is that school offices and student services have emergency pads on hand.

Wouldn't it be better (and more efficient, and more dignified) just to give her the money so she could buy the things she needs, rather than be given things chosen by others ..... I mean we don't talk about "cleaning products" poverty....

I 100% agree, I have worked closely with the welfare system over the years and have seen it eroded. Up until a few years ago you could go and get a crisis loan from the DWP of up to a fortnight's worth of benefit money to go and buy food and other essentials. There were many who took the piss out of that system though, going as far as to report their purse missing to get a crime reference number to get a payment.

The food bank system of getting given 3 days of shitty food is extremely undignified, and I really wish it could be replaced by a supermarket voucher letting people buy things like eggs, milk, bread and other fresh foods not available from foodbanks.

As someone who experienced “period poverty” growing up, I find these campaigns creepy and gross.

Please tell no one is going to force poorer girls to engage with this campaign in any way, and certainly not meet anyone behind it?🤞

The food bank system of getting given 3 days of shitty food is extremely undignified, and I really wish it could be replaced by a supermarket voucher letting people buy things like eggs, milk, bread and other fresh foods not available from foodbanks.

This x several billion.

More dignity. More choice. Less waste.

I agree OP. I think that Maya Forstater put it well on twitter - "period poverty" is an issue that's been made up so people can tick the "women's rights" box while not talking about more difficult issues. It's the "plastic drinking straws" of women's rights.

If you can't afford a couple of quid for tampons, you have issues around general poverty and/ or neglectful and abusive parents that are much wider than the tampon issue. It's those issues that need addressing.

I hadn't thought of the privacy aspect before though - interesting point

Did you read the full post, it's pretty clear the poster has been in that situation.

I read that she said she couldn't be criticised because she has been very poor in the past. Having been poor doesn't necessarily mean you have empathy with other poor people. Cleary it doesn't, as she has demonstrated none in her post.

Are you defending her stance that poor teenage girls should quit whinging and tear up a t-shirt? Really?