BALTIMORE — People experience period poverty when they can’t afford or have access to menstrual products, with the price of these products increasing each year due to inflation.
Some fear the period poverty young girls face here in Baltimore will get worse.
Luckily, there are non-profits working to help.
"The statistics are 20% of girls miss school when they have their period because of lack of supplies," says Robin Neumann.
It's not just one or two days; in some cases, girls are missing school for a week each month simply because they don't have the supplies.
According to a study by the research firm Circana, since 2019, the average price of pads has increased by 41%, and the average price of tampons has jumped by 36%.
This has raised some concerns for area non-profits working to end period poverty among young girls.
"People who don't have economic challenges and can go into Target and buy what they need without thinking about it don't realize necessarily how impactful the cost is," says Melinda Michel, Vice President of Women's Philanthropy with the Associated Jewish Federation of Baltimore.
The increase in the cost initially came around the pandemic because of the increase in the cost of shipping and the cost of raw materials like plastic resins and cotton.
Robin Neumann, aka 'The Period Lady', started a mission to end period poverty in Baltimore city and county schools.
She says she has seen firsthand how much the price of menstrual products can take a toll on a family, especially when choosing between products or groceries, which have also increased in price.
"How do they make that decision, and of course they would choose food seems like food is more of a necessity, but not to the girls who have their period and can't really leave the house," says Robin Neumann.
Neumann supplies period products in over 20 Baltimore City and County schools, including the middle alternative program where Lakisha Brown-Allen teaches.
Allen says in the last two years, Neumann has helped her students a lot by giving them direct access to products monthly for free.
Allen says her students are no longer missing school seven to ten days at a time, and she helps the students beyond the classroom as well.
"Most of the time, the only support they do get is at our schools, and even when it's professional development days the summer break holidays, I try to make sure that my young ladies have enough, you know, to cover them; they have those resources to cover them because I know due to their financial hardship, their parents can't afford to purchase the products for them, so it's extremely important," says Lakisha Brown-Allen.
There is an alternative to using pads or tampons; there are products like menstrual cups which are re-usable, but they come with their own sanitary challenges for younger or homeless women.
