TRENTON, NJ – New Jersey Senator Teresa Ruiz is seeking to memorialize period poverty in New Jersey by designating the last week in May to the struggles poor young women often face when dealing with problems associated with the purchase and acquisition of menstrual products.
A Joint Resolution designating the last full week of May of each year as “Period Poverty Awareness Week” in New Jersey was signed on Monday.
According to the the proclamation, “Period Poverty” is defined as inadequate access to menstrual hygiene products and education, clean toilets, and handwashing facilities; and the average menstruator spends approximately $9 per month, or $1,964 over the course of a lifetime, on menstrual hygiene products.
Ruiz claims one in five low-income menstruators reports missing school, work, or events because they lack access to menstrual hygiene products.
“This joint resolution designates the last full week of May of each year as “Period Poverty Awareness Week” in order to promote awareness of, and public actions to address, period poverty. Period poverty is defined as inadequate access to menstrual hygiene products and education, clean toilets, and handwashing facilities,” the proclamation reads. “Access to menstrual hygiene products, such as tampons or sanitary pads, is particularly difficult for homeless individuals, incarcerated menstruators, and transgendered persons. Moreover, low-income menstruators frequently have difficulty affording the cost of menstrual hygiene products, since federal safety-net programs, such as Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), do not cover these essential health products. Too often, menstruators are forced to miss school, work, or important events because they lack access to, or cannot afford to buy, the products needed to manage menstrual periods. It is the intent of the bill’s sponsor to promote public awareness of period poverty so that New Jersey’s menstruators no longer have to choose between purchasing food or menstrual hygiene products.”