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Naila Khelifi
Video script:
Having a woman’s body is expensive. Every month, menstruating women must pay money in order to access menstrual hygiene products such as pads, tampons and period underwear.
In France, 2 million women face difficulties in accessing adequate hygiene products, for lack of financial means. 7% of students suffer menstrual precariousness, and 1 in 10 will have to invent makeshift pads. The high prices prohibit particularly young girls who usually turn to food banks to feed themselves, from accessing basic hygiene products.
We are in a “Carrefour” supermarket in Levallois, western Paris. A wide range of choices is offered to customers, each according to their budget. But the bill can quickly add up if you buy pads and tampons, and sometimes panty liners especially in the last period days.
If the customer opts for organic products, the expense increases substantially. This option is also out of reach for many young girls, including students, single mothers and unemployed women.
Period poverty is a reality in France. Some young girls even miss school due to a lack of adequate protection, while others save money by using fewer quantities of pads or tampons.
