Period poverty is more than the inability to afford pads or tampons. It is an issue of accessibility, education, dignity and the ability to participate fully in everyday life.
Across Australia, research continues to highlight the barriers people face when managing their periods and why greater awareness, education and practical solutions are needed.
Understanding Period Poverty in Australia
For many Australians, purchasing period products is a routine part of everyday life. But for others, accessing these essential items can be a significant financial and practical challenge.
Period poverty occurs when people cannot afford or reliably access the menstrual products they need.
It is also closely connected to broader menstrual inequity, which includes limited access to appropriate facilities, menstrual health education, healthcare and supportive environments.
These challenges can affect people at different stages of life, particularly young people navigating their first periods, individuals experiencing financial hardship and communities facing additional barriers to essential services.
While awareness of period poverty has grown, Australian research demonstrates that access to affordable period care remains an important issue.
What Does the Australian Research Tell Us?
In 2024, Australian charity Share the Dignity conducted its second Bloody Big Survey, collecting responses from 153,620 people about their experiences of menstruation.
The findings provide valuable insight into the financial, social and practical challenges associated with managing periods in Australia.
Among survey respondents, the reported findings included:
64% experiencing difficulty affording period products.
63% reporting having missed school because of their period.
56% reporting having missed work because of their period.
36% feeling well educated about menstruation before experiencing their first period.
These findings highlight how menstrual health challenges can extend beyond product affordability.
They can intersect with education, employment, physical health, confidence and participation in everyday activities.
Importantly, these statistics reflect the experiences of survey respondents rather than nationally representative estimates of all Australians. The reported school and workplace absences should not automatically be attributed to period poverty, as menstruation-related absence can have multiple causes.
Source: Share the Dignity, Bloody Big Survey 2024. Figures and question wording should be verified against the original report before publication.
Why First Nations Communities Must Be Part of the Conversation
Access to menstrual products and education is particularly important when considering the experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
The 2024 Bloody Big Survey reported that approximately 83% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander respondents experienced difficulty affording period products.
The survey also reported that 21.75% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander respondents had been unable to afford period products during the previous 12 months, compared with 6.9% of non-Indigenous respondents.
These findings highlight the importance of understanding the different circumstances that can influence access to essential period care.
Financial pressures, geographical isolation, product availability and access to appropriate health information can create additional challenges.
However, improving menstrual equity requires more than simply making products available.
It also requires listening to communities, understanding local needs and recognising the importance of culturally respectful approaches to education and support.
For First Nations girls and young people, conversations about menstrual health should be approached with respect for cultural knowledge, community perspectives and individual experiences.
Supporting menstrual equity means ensuring that communities have meaningful opportunities to shape the solutions intended to support them.
The Impact on Young People and Education
A young person’s first period can be an important milestone.
Having access to accurate information, appropriate products and trusted support can help young people understand what is happening to their bodies and how to manage menstruation with greater confidence.
However, not every young person begins this experience with the same level of preparation.
The 2024 Bloody Big Survey reported that only 36% of respondents felt well educated about menstruation before their first period.
This finding highlights an opportunity to strengthen early menstrual health education and improve access to age-appropriate resources.
For young people, practical education can include understanding:
What menstruation is and what to expect.
The different types of period products available.
How to use and change products safely.
How to manage periods at school and during everyday activities.
When to seek additional support or medical advice.
How to have conversations about menstrual health without embarrassment or shame.
Education should also recognise that every young person’s experience is different.
Some may feel comfortable discussing periods openly, while others may need additional privacy, reassurance or support.
Providing accurate information through accessible and respectful education can help young people feel better informed and prepared.
Every young person deserves the opportunity to understand their body, access appropriate products and feel supported throughout their menstrual health journey.
Period Poverty Is About More Than Products
Although access to affordable menstrual products is essential, menstrual equity involves a broader range of considerations.
A person may have access to period products but still experience difficulties managing their period because of inadequate facilities, limited privacy, insufficient information or a lack of appropriate support.
For young people, this may mean feeling uncertain about how to manage their period at school.
For people experiencing financial hardship, it may involve making difficult decisions about essential household expenses.
For individuals living in regional or remote communities, accessing suitable products may involve additional practical challenges.
These circumstances reinforce why menstrual equity should be considered across health, education, community services and public policy.
Meaningful improvements require solutions that respond to the different needs and circumstances of the people they are intended to support.
The Importance of Culturally Considered Period Care
Improving access to menstrual care requires more than providing essential products. It also involves understanding the cultural perspectives and community experiences that may influence how people learn about and manage menstruation.
For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander girls and young people, culturally considered period care means recognising the importance of cultural knowledge, community voices and respectful approaches to menstrual health education.
Conversations about menstruation may be influenced by cultural practices, family relationships, community expectations and personal preferences.
These experiences are not universal, and approaches to education and support should recognise the diversity of First Nations peoples and communities.
A culturally respectful approach to period care may involve:
Listening to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities about their needs and priorities.
Recognising the role of families, Elders and trusted community members where appropriate.
Supporting culturally respectful conversations about menstrual health.
Providing educational resources that consider local cultural perspectives and preferences.
Respecting privacy, dignity and individual choices.
Working alongside Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations and community representatives to inform the development of appropriate resources and programs.
Culturally considered period care is not about assuming that every community or individual has the same needs.
It is about creating opportunities for communities to contribute to the development of solutions that are relevant, respectful and appropriate for the people they are intended to support.
For TidzBiz, this means recognising the importance of listening, learning and collaborating with communities as products and educational resources continue to develop.
Meaningful cultural consideration begins with listening to the people and communities these initiatives are intended to support.
Accessibility and Inclusive Period Care
Accessibility is an essential part of menstrual equity.
Ensuring that period-care products, educational resources and support services recognise different individual needs can help create more inclusive menstrual health experiences.
People experience and manage menstruation differently, and period-care products and educational resources should recognise the diverse physical, cognitive, communication and sensory needs that may influence those experiences.
For people with disability, accessing and using menstrual products may involve additional considerations relating to product design, physical accessibility, communication, independence and available support.
Sensory preferences and sensitivities may also influence a person’s comfort with particular menstrual products, materials or experiences.
These needs are individual and should not be approached through assumptions about what people can or cannot do.
An inclusive approach to period care may involve:
Providing a choice of menstrual products to accommodate different needs and preferences.
Considering ease of use, packaging and product accessibility.
Developing educational resources in clear, accessible formats.
Recognising that individuals may have different communication and learning preferences.
Considering sensory comfort when exploring product materials and design.
Supporting privacy, dignity, independence and personal choice.
Seeking input from people with lived experience of disability when developing products and educational resources.
Accessibility also extends beyond disability.
Age, literacy, language, financial circumstances and geographical location can influence how easily someone can access menstrual products, information and appropriate support.
Recognising these differences can help organisations develop more inclusive approaches to menstrual health education and product provision.
For TidzBiz, accessibility is an important consideration in the ongoing development of its period-care kits, educational resources and broader support initiatives.
The aim is to explore practical solutions that recognise individual needs and help more people access period care with dignity, confidence and choice.
Why Collaboration Matters
Addressing period poverty is not the responsibility of any single organisation.
Governments, schools, health services, Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations, businesses and community groups all have opportunities to contribute to improved menstrual equity.
Collaboration can help identify where access barriers exist, understand community priorities and develop practical approaches to supporting menstrual health.
For organisations working with children, young people and families, this may involve considering how menstrual products and educational resources can be made more accessible within existing services.
For businesses and funding partners, it creates opportunities to support initiatives that respond to identified community needs.
Importantly, effective approaches should be informed by research, community consultation and ongoing evaluation.
Improving access is an important objective, but understanding whether initiatives are meeting the needs of the people they serve is equally valuable.
Progress requires more than identifying the challenges. It requires working together to develop practical, informed and sustainable solutions.
Where TidzBiz Fits Into the Conversation
TidzBiz is being developed with a focus on improving access to essential period-care products, practical education and meaningful support for young people.
With a particular commitment to supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander girls and young people, TidzBiz recognises the importance of culturally respectful approaches to menstrual health.
This includes listening to community perspectives, recognising cultural knowledge and exploring opportunities for collaboration with Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations and other community partners.
Accessibility and inclusion are also important priorities in the development of TidzBiz products and educational resources.
By considering individual preferences, different learning needs and practical barriers to period care, TidzBiz aims to explore solutions that support greater choice, comfort and independence.
Together, these priorities contribute to a broader commitment to menstrual equity, recognising that meaningful solutions must respond to the diverse experiences and circumstances of the people they are intended to support.
Through its developing range of first-period kits, refill options and educational resources, TidzBiz aims to contribute to greater access to essential products and information.
The broader vision also includes opportunities to work alongside health services, schools, community organisations, government agencies and other partners to explore appropriate approaches to product supply and menstrual health education.
TidzBiz recognises that meaningful progress requires listening, learning and working collaboratively with the communities and organisations involved.
Our focus is not simply on developing period-care products.
It is about exploring how products, education and practical support can work together to create better period-care experiences for young people.
Continuing the Conversation
Period poverty is an issue that deserves continued attention across Australia.
Research highlights that difficulties accessing menstrual products and information remain a reality for many people.
However, greater awareness also creates opportunities for informed conversations, collaboration and practical action.
By recognising the relationship between menstrual health, education, accessibility and dignity, we can contribute to a future where young people feel better supported throughout their menstrual health journey.
Because access to period care should never be a barrier to feeling informed, prepared and supported.
Learn More About TidzBiz
TidzBiz welcomes expressions of interest from health services, schools, Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations, government agencies, community organisations, funding partners and individuals interested in learning more about its developing range of period-care products and educational resources.
Register your interest to learn more about TidzBiz and explore opportunities for collaboration.
