Menstrual equity is the principle that access to menstrual products should not depend on how much money someone has, where they live, or where they spend their time. It encompasses affordability, accessibility, product safety, and education, treating periods not as a personal inconvenience but as a public health matter that affects education, employment, and dignity. The concept has gained significant traction in policy circles over the past decade, driving new laws across the United States and internationally.
Why It Matters: The Scale of Period Poverty
An estimated two in five people of menstruating age in the U.S. struggle to afford period supplies. Among teenagers specifically, a 2023 survey found that 23% had difficulty affording menstrual products, and the Alliance for Period Supplies estimates one in four students faces the same problem. When someone can’t afford pads or tampons, they often improvise with rags, paper, or other materials, or they wear a single product far longer than intended.
The health consequences are real. Prolonged use of pads, tampons, or menstrual cups increases the risk of urinary tract infections and bacterial vaginosis. Skin irritation, vaginal itching, and abnormal discharge are also common when products are worn too long or when makeshift alternatives are used.
The financial burden adds up across a lifetime. People who menstruate typically do so for roughly 40 years, buying products month after month. As of May 2025, 19 U.S. states still charge standard sales tax on period products, sometimes called the “tampon tax.” Tennessee, Indiana, and Mississippi have among the highest rates. That tax treats menstrual supplies the same as non-essential goods, even though they’re a biological necessity.
How Period Poverty Affects School and Work
Students who lack reliable access to menstrual products miss school. Research from low-resource settings shows that girls miss anywhere from one to seven days per month during their period, with roughly half missing one to two days and about 14% missing five to seven days. While U.S.-specific absenteeism data is more limited, the pattern holds: students who can’t manage their periods at school stay home, fall behind, and face social stigma that compounds the problem.
In the workplace, the U.S. Department of Labor has acknowledged the issue directly. A department guidance document recommends that employers provide a sufficient supply of varied period products in bathrooms, along with increased bathroom access and flexible break policies. These recommendations are voluntary, not legally required. Occupational safety standards do require sanitation facilities in general industry, construction, maritime, and agricultural settings, but stocking those facilities with menstrual products remains at an employer’s discretion.
Where U.S. Laws Stand
State legislatures have moved fastest on two fronts: schools and correctional facilities. At least 12 states and the District of Columbia now require free menstrual products in schools. Since 2020 alone, 10 states and D.C. passed bills creating or expanding these requirements. Utah, for example, requires period products in every female or unisex restroom in elementary through high schools. Delaware requires them in at least half of female bathrooms in public and charter schools serving grades six through 12. Alabama took a different approach, creating a grant program that distributes products through school counselors, nurses, or teachers.
At least 24 states and D.C. require free menstrual products in correctional facilities. Arizona’s 2021 law specifies that tampons, pads, menstrual sponges, and menstrual cups must all be available to female inmates free of charge on request. Mississippi passed its “Dignity for Incarcerated Women Act” the same year, ensuring sufficient personal hygiene products at every facility housing women. Alabama, North Carolina, and others have followed with similar legislation in recent years.
Homeless shelters are the least-addressed setting. Only three states, Illinois, Maryland, and New York, currently require free period products in shelters. New York passed two separate bills in late 2021 and early 2022 covering individuals in both temporary housing assistance and temporary shelter programs.
Product Safety and Ingredient Transparency
Menstrual equity also includes knowing what’s in the products you use. Under current federal rules, tampons must carry labels about absorbency ranges and toxic shock syndrome warnings, but listing their actual ingredients is not required. The FDA’s approval process for these products recommends disclosing component materials and additives but doesn’t mandate it. New York is the only state that requires menstrual product ingredient labeling, though legislative pushes for similar requirements have appeared at both state and federal levels.
This gap matters because menstrual products sit against some of the body’s most absorbent tissue for hours at a time. Without mandatory disclosure, consumers can’t make informed choices about potential irritants, fragrances, or chemical additives in the products they use every month for decades.
Scotland’s Model for Universal Access
The most ambitious legislation so far came from Scotland. After funding voluntary period product programs in schools and community settings starting in 2018, the Scottish Parliament unanimously passed the Period Products (Free Provision) Bill in November 2020. It received Royal Assent in January 2021 and took full effect on August 15, 2022. The law guarantees reasonably convenient access to free period products for anyone who needs them, not limited to specific populations like students or incarcerated people.
Scotland’s approach represents the farthest end of the menstrual equity spectrum: universal provision funded publicly, with no eligibility requirements. It has become a reference point for advocates in other countries who argue that piecemeal laws covering only schools or prisons leave too many people out.
Workplace Policies and What’s Changing
The U.S. Department of Labor’s guidance suggests several practical steps employers can take voluntarily. Beyond stocking bathrooms with products, the department recommends that employers explicitly list menstruation-related symptoms as an allowable reason to use paid sick leave, train managers on how periods can affect employees at work, include menstrual health support in employee assistance programs, and ensure job-based health insurance covers menstruation management and treatments.
None of this is currently required by federal law. The Department of Labor frames these as topics employers and employees “may voluntarily choose to address.” But the guidance itself signals a shift in how policymakers think about menstruation at work, from a private matter employees handle silently to a workplace condition that deserves the same structural support as other health needs.