What is going on with periods in Texas?
In Texas, one of the more prevalent issues relating to women’s health being addressed currently is the “tampon tax.” The “tampon tax” isn’t specifically a tax on feminine hygiene products, rather the term used to describe the failure to exempt feminine hygiene products from sales tax when “non-luxury” products like “glasses, dietary supplements and most medications” are exempt on the grounds of their medical uses (Mekelburg). For Texans, sales tax on most items totals 8.25%, and to put into perspective the financial strain on women, “the state comptroller's office estimates the general revenue fund would lose $19.3 million in fiscal year 2018 and $20.4 million in 2019” if feminine hygiene products were not taxed (Mekelburg). This may not seem like too much money for women across an entire state to pay, but for those who have difficulties paying for feminine hygiene products in general, the amount for tax can be overwhelming. Tax issues are left in the hands of the state governments (not federal), and as of 2016, only 19.9% of state legislators in Texas were women (Women). Men cannot understand the plight of women to undergo menstruation as they have never had the same experience, so because they have no understanding (through no fault of their own), they tend to make faulty assumptions in regard to the effects of menstruation and apparently in this case, the necessity of feminine hygiene products. With women gaining presence and representation within the state government, the issues dealt with by women are being addressed more and more and acknowledged by men who respect their role as women in power. "There is no limit to what we, as women, can accomplish."
-Michelle Obama, FLOTUS 2008-2016 |
What is going on with periods in the United States?
In the United States, “nearly one in five kids aged 12-17 live in poverty,” (Burns). This is a problem for menstruating girls who fall into that category, because feminine hygiene products are not only indispensable but also extremely expensive, typically starting at around $7 a box (tampons and pads) plus tax. In response to this colossal issue, some states are working to make feminine hygiene products free to the women that need them, one of these being New York. New York City, specifically, is now the first city to provide feminine hygiene products for free in schools, correctional facilities, and homeless shelters (Peltz). Their goal was to pass a law warranting this free distribution, so they wouldn’t have to worry about fluctuations in the economy impacting their ability to fund or prioritize this project. The nationwide impact free feminine hygiene products in schools especially would have is it would increase girls’ participation and all-around attendance in school, a trend noted during NYC City Council Member Julissa Ferreras-Copeland’s replication of this project on a smaller scale, providing a tampon and pad dispenser to the High School for Business and the Arts and noticing a jump in attendance from 90% to 92.4% in just six months (Burns). The main obstacle that has prevented the issue of providing free feminine hygiene products in public places from gaining ground until now is that men, who have significantly more representation in government than women, wouldn’t naturally think to promote it themselves. Understanding and listening to women is crucial for changes to occur legislatively. Having statistics like the one relating to the increased attendance in a school directly depicts the necessity of access to feminine hygiene products and could ultimately be what leads to change taking place. Because periods are being acknowledged by the government more, it will hopefully become more and more normal to talk about them in general and make girls feel less like they are a part of something taboo. |