Double Crisis: Inflation and Stigma Worsen Period Poverty in Nigeria — By Oladigbolu Taofeek

Tiwadayo, 22, has rarely used sanitary pads since she started menstruating. She often uses clothes or “double up” to contain the flow and misses school during her periods. For the six years since Tiwadayo started menstruating, she has been at risk of infections and infertility due to limited access to menstrual products and resources. The lack of proper knowledge and social stigma on her monthly ritual further expose her to more reproductive and emotional risks.

Over 1.5 billion females of reproductive age experience period poverty like Tiwadayo. While the word poverty may sound familiar, period poverty may be a little foreign to a lot of us as the escalating and depressing issue has been under the radar of social awareness and concern. According to WHO, period poverty is the inability to afford and access menstrual products, sanitation facilities, and education to manage menstruation. A 2020 survey by Plan International revealed that 3 out of 10 females in the United Kingdom cannot afford or access menstrual products and more than half of them used toilet paper instead. Period poverty is more severe in developing countries, as one in five girls in Bangladesh, Madagascar, Egypt, and Ethiopia used no material during menstruation, and more than four out of five adolescent girls and women use clothes in most African countries, according to a WHO report.

More than 37 million Nigerian girls and women cannot afford menstrual products in 2023, according to Pauline Tallen, Nigeria’s former minister of women’s affairs. Inflation has put sanitary products further out of reach for many girls in the country. The prices of sanitary pads have spiked by over 59 percent in the last six months, following an unprecedented headline inflation rate of 34.2 percent, which plunged the economy into turmoil and made basic necessities unaffordable by average Nigerians. The inflated prices of sanitary pads–which moved from N600-N1,100 to N800-N2,000 in the last six months–often force adolescent girls and young women to resort to unsanitary and unsafe alternatives.

Many girls have limited options for feminine hygiene products. They often use toilet paper, clothes, and child diapers instead of period products. “I can’t even afford it at all. In fact, I rarely use pads. I just use clothes, which might be insufficient sometimes, but I use what I have, said Titilayo, a University of Ibadan student, who couldn’t afford the exorbitant price of sanitary pads and lamented that “I work for a monthly stipend and what I earn barely covers food, I don’t even think about it (sanitary pad) or add it to my budget.”

It’s Almost a Taboo to Mention It” 

Speaking about menstruation is a taboo in Cecilia’s, 22, house. Her mummy and other family members never educate her or talk about menstruation; it seems menstruation is a forbidden topic in her household. The only time they discussed menstruation was when she raised it. She had to learn about menstrual hygiene from peers as the topic is never discussed openly in her community, not even in her school.

“We rarely talked about menstruation. In fact, it was only discussed once and I was the one who raised it. I just felt I should get tips from my mum like other little girls. As she wasn’t saying anything about it, I raised the topic to ask her opinion. I went back to school after that and never discussed the topic again.”

While menstruation is a normal and healthy part of women’s lives, many cultures see periods as unholy and dirty, something that women should hide. In most parts of Nigeria, talking about menstruation is taboo, period is unholy, and period products should be hidden. In Northern Nigeria, menstrual stigma and discrimination are pervasive, with harmful social and cultural norms surrounding periods and menstruating women. Social stigma and biased gender stereotypes have long been associated with menstruation in the country, stifling open dialogue around the topic and preventing menstruating girls and women from talking about periods, period pains, and needs, even to friends and family members.

According to Dr. Natalia Kanem, the United Nations Fund for Population Activities Executive Director, social taboos prevent young women from discussing their period needs and concerns. and also noted that negative gender stereotype makes menstrual products and resources inaccessible, which often results in short-and long-term implications. “Because of social taboo and gender stereotypes that stigmatize menstruation as dirty, many people experience menstruation with shame and without access to the resources needed to manage their menstrual health safely.”

“Most cultural beliefs uphold that Menstruation is a thing to be hidden, kept secret, and forbidden to be openly discussed and this has made it impossible or difficult for young girls to state their needs, concerns, and fears about it,” said Temidayo, 18, who received little orientation about menstruation. Temidayo stated that she “wasn’t really educated about menstruation while growing up, it was a female teacher that took it upon herself to talk about it to us during our break periods, in secondary school. She was unable to do much before she left the school.”

70% of girls and young women hadn’t seen or shared concerning period symptoms with a doctor or health professional, according to a Plan International survey. Likewise, statistics from the charity Endometriosis UK show that 62% of adolescent and young women would put off going to a health professional when they have period pains because they are embarrassed to discuss it with a doctor or they think it’s not serious enough to bother a doctor with; they think painful periods are normal.

“You aren’t allowed to talk about it. People suffer from severe pain and can’t say anything because it’s shunned. Women can’t comfortably share tips that help manage symptoms or some of the terrible products available. We can’t talk about it and we have to figure out how (to manage these pains) on our own most of the time,” shared Omowumi, 24, who said menstruation is “almost a taboo to mention” in her community.

Effects of Period Poverty and Menstrual Stigma

Period poverty and menstrual stigma pose serious reproductive and socioeconomic risks to adolescent girls and young women with significant short and long-term consequences. People using alternative products or menstrual products longer than intended are at risk of urinary and genital infections and toxic shock syndrome, which may result in serious health issues and infertility. Moreover, period poverty and stigma have driven thousands of Nigerian girls out of school. About 80 percent of adolescent girls in Nigeria drop out due to period poverty and stigmas, which have long-term consequences on their future earning potential and the country’s economy. In addition to the massive loss of human potential, girls of reproductive age are forced into child marriage after first menstruation, and they are restricted from socio-religious activities and places when menstruating, thereby widening gender biases and inequality.

Addressing this menace calls for a multifaceted approach, and education is a crucial step against period poverty and menstrual stigma. Nationwide menstrual education programs are crucial to destigmatize menstruation and encourage constructive dialogue on periods. Menstrual awareness will foster an open and supportive environment for young women and equip them with the knowledge to effectively manage their periods. Besides education, the government must enact and enforce policies that ensure free or subsidized menstrual products and make menstrual sanitation resources and facilities easily accessible to girls of reproductive age. Moreover, Women’s groups and other non-governmental organizations should bolster campaigns against menstrual stigma and provide free pads to less privileged women. They should also influence the government in making subsiding menstrual hygiene products and eradicating period poverty.

Oladigbolu Taofeek is a Nigerian investigative journalist, and writes from Ibadan.

 

 

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