Groundbreaking local report suggests 1 in 4 people struggle with period product affordability

New research from Waterloo based group, Changing the Flow, is shining a first light on the current state of period equity in Waterloo Region.

The report — Menstruation in Waterloo Region: Insight Into Experiences, Attitudes, and Advancements — surveyed 238 people who live or work in Waterloo region and found that 26 per cent of those surveyed indicated they have struggled  at some point to afford period products.

The report also found that 95 per cent of respondents said they've had to use a substitute in place of a period product because they were not always able to access them.

"Layering that on the fact that this was a volunteer survey that under-represents the lower end of the financial spectrum, that's quite a striking number to think of: one in four in 2021," Kevin Hiebert, co-founder of Changing the Flow told CBC Kitchener-Waterloo.

The group conducted the survey in December 2020 through an online form.

Because the survey was conducted only online, co-founder Kate Elliott said people who are incarcerated, experiencing homelessness or living in low income are underrepresented in the data.

"The reality is that [the] one in four people statistic is likely much higher if we're really representing Waterloo region," she told The Morning Edition Friday.

"This participant poll is heavily biased to people who have access to the internet or a computer or phone. That's how we collected the data."

Hiebert said they hope to do more research on those other groups in the future.

More access to free period products 

Hiebert and Elliott said goal of the report was to better understand community awareness and attitudes toward menstruation, as well as create steps for the region, businesses and other organizations to take action.

"There are advocates and people willing to have these conversations, but [menstruation] is still very stigmatised and taboo and silenced," Elliott said.

Almost all respondents, 96 per cent, said they have gotten their period in public spaces when unprepared and 88 per cent say they've had a similar experience at work. The majority of respondents said better access to period products is needed locally in schools, post secondary institutions, workplaces and in public spaces.

In late 2019, the City of Kitchener launched a six-month pilot project that offers free period product at some city facilities.

However, a spokesperson for the city said because the pandemic triggered facility closures, city hall is the only place  within the pilot scope that's currently offering free period products. 

The Kitchener Public Library and the Waterloo Region District School Board have also offered free period products.

Elliott said she hopes the report adds to the growing conversation around period poverty and equity in Waterloo region.

"Every day we're finding new people who are ready for that and people who are recognizing that periods aren't something to be ashamed of. They are natural. They are normal."

"The fact that we stigmatize it so heavily is causing real issues in the region for people who can't afford [period products]."