The impact of inequality

Income and wealth aren’t the only things that matter for a good life in New Zealand, but they do make a big difference to the kinds of lives people can lead. It’s important to remember that poverty doesn’t exist in isolation, it both impacts and is impacted by other things. When you have layers of poverty stacked on one another, the weight of them easily becomes heavy, even unbearable.

With many New Zealanders living in debt, and with little to no assets or savings, how can we expect them to be able to pay yet another monthly cost for period supplies for every person in their household or whanau who gets a period? Not every period is a ‘regular’ 5 day period, some people menstruate for a week or two, which means they need to buy double or triple the amount of products as a person with a ‘regular’ period.

For many people, their limited household budget just doesn’t cover that month after month. They are often forced to make the choice between food or period products. When period products can’t be afforded, it means people don’t attend school or work, or even leave the house, trapping them in cycles of poverty.

How can we expect people to thrive when they’re worried about making a pad last all day and night to manage their period, while at the same time being anxious about how they will feed their family that day? The odds are stacked against those facing poverty in so many ways.

There are also practical reasons to be concerned about inequality. Unequal societies are less functional, less cohesive, and less healthy than their more equal counterparts.

Tackling Period Poverty might seem like a small issue compared to the number of issues faced by Kiwis, but if we can level the playing field in this one small way, the results will be significant.

We’ll be able to help kids leave the house to go to school and focus on their education, play sports and see their friends, with the confidence of knowing that they have the right products and knowledge to manage their periods.

And we’ll be able to ensure that adults with periods don’t have to miss out on work, sports, and participating in local community activities.

Learn more about Period Poverty at theperiodplace.co.nz.