Period Poverty and Menstrual Health

Menstruation affects the lives of half the world’s population: it influences budget choices, opportunities, participation in society and, in the long run, inequality. Linked to this is period poverty; not being financially able to buy the menstrual products you need, even though you are expected to perform at school or work. Period poverty is a pivotal equality issue: worldwide, girls and women stay at home several days a month due to pain or not being able to pay for changing products. These are valuable missed education or working days, which cost themselves, and eventually society, a lot. Still, there is relatively little acknowledgement of this. In addition, even though changes are visible, menstrual health is still a taboo subject. How come? In this lecture Maria Carmen Punzi explains in what ways systemic inequality linked to menstrual health is manifested and institutionalized within our society, how this can be changed in concrete terms, and what is already happening right now.

Screening short film Spotless
We will start the evening by screening the acclaimed short film Spotless from director Emma Branderhorst. This film poignantly demonstrates the struggles people who menstruate can go through, and forms a perfect visual introduction to the topics Maria Carmen Punzi will subsequently discuss in the lecture.