This post is also available in: Français (French) العربية (Arabic)
This post is also available in: Français (French) العربية (Arabic)
It’s the 15th of February 2023 and I am outside the Franprix in Nanterre, Sainte Geneviève. Franprix is a French urban supermarket chain (retail business). It is a subsidiary of the Casino Group.
In France, inflation hit 5.2% in one year, and not one supermarket aisle was spared. Today, with the rising costs of inflation, monthly expenses are only getting higher, making it even more difficult to be able to afford hygiene products. The money being spent on hygiene products for menstruation is a heavy financial burden for tens of thousands of women who already live in precarious conditions.
These expenses can constitute up to 5% of a woman’s total budget. Using a low estimate, this cost could amount to about 100 to 150 euros per year – or 10 euros for each menstruation cycle. 1 in 5 women in France would have used alternative hygienic protections for lack of financial means: these include toilet paper, tissues, or pieces of fabric.
“Period poverty” primarily affects:
Rania, born in Algeria, arrived in France when she was 23 in 2017. Having studied “Sustainable Development”, she nurtured a deep interest in justice and equality in all social fields. Rania is also a self-taught author who often writes about citizenship, gender equality and migration. Her first article was published by Huffpost Maghreb (now turned Radio M). She had her own special column in “El Watan” newspaper where she contributed once every week to comment on the Algerian “Hirak”. Her articles were also published by several other outlets, such as the cultural “Ineffable Art et Culture”. One of Rania’s articles, “Voyage au out de la démocratie” was turned into a short film by director Nadja Harek.
© 2023 Medfeminiswiya - Mediterranean Network for Feminist Information
© 2023 Medfeminiswiya - Mediterranean Network for Feminist Information