A Win for Women
Effective starting in the 2022-23 academic year, California public schools and colleges are required to stock their bathrooms with free menstrual products under a mandate that was signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Oct. 8. This bill is Assembly Bill (AB) 367, also called the Menstrual Equity for All Act of 2021, and applies to schools serving students in sixth through 12th grade, community colleges and the California State University system, a network of 23 campuses. AB 367 follows efforts from women’s rights advocates, namely Cristina Garcia, a California State Assemblymember, to make pads, tampons and other menstrual products affordable. An advocate for period dignity policies, Garcia was the one who introduced the legislation to Newsom.
Affordable access to pads, tampons and other menstrual items is necessary, as according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) most women spend around seven years of their life on their period. While periods are an inevitable part of most women’s lives, an estimated 500 million females globally lack access to menstrual products and adequate facilities for menstrual hygiene management (World Bank). Referred to as period poverty, the lack of access to basic period products can lead to physical health risks such as reproductive and urinary tract infections (UNICEF). Period poverty does not just cause health issues; nearly one in five girls in the U.S. has missed school due to a lack of period products (Always). Yoga and Service Learning Leadership teacher Heather Myrick finds it unjust that the inability to afford period products can interfere with these girls’ education.
“I do not like to think [that] any person, family, child or girl going without something that they need or something hygiene-related [inhibits them] from going to school,” Myrick said. “I want students to be able to go to school, learn and thrive, so if there are some basic hygiene products that are needed, providing them [is a step toward helping curb this problem].”
When describing the legislation, Garcia expressed how “our biology does not always send an advanced warning when we are about to start menstruating, which means we need to stop whatever we are doing and deal with a period. Having convenient and free access to these products would alleviate the anxiety of trying to find a product when out in public” (American Broadcasting Company News). Having menstrual items be easily accessible in schools will help many, as it will relieve the stress of having to search for a product after being surprised with a period. Sophomore Claire Dokko agrees that menstrual products being readily available in school will be helpful for a lot of students on campus.
“Easier access to sanitary products would definitely make life easier for many students,” Dokko said. “If there was a definite, reliable supply of menstrual products [provided] for me and my peers, this would save us a lot of trouble.”
The wave of women’s rights activists pushing for affordable access to pads, tampons and other menstrual items has not only influenced California law but also laws all over the globe. In November of 2020, Scotland became the first country to make period products free for all, which inspired Garcia to introduce AB 367 to Newsom (British Broadcasting Corporation). In a statement on Oct. 8, Garcia said, “Scotland showed the world this pioneering policy can be passed and become law. I propose we build upon California’s prior menstrual equity laws by declaring that access to menstrual products is a human right.” One prior menstrual equity law that was also introduced by Garcia was the decision to repeal taxes on menstrual products, which cost women approximately $20 million a year (National Broadcasting Company). Sophomore Audrey Yu hopes that AB 367 will lead to affordable access to sanitary products nationwide.“We can only hope that the mandate in California will cause a domino effect of sorts,” Yu said. “If California starts normalizing having products stocked in bathrooms, other states could catch on. Right now, many states still charge menstrual products as luxury items, but maybe this step [to provide them free of charge] could allow more people in America to realize that these are simply basic necessities.”
