If I find my research paper I had to do for a university course, I calculated the "best case scenario" of how much a women menstruating over her entire lifespan will have to pay for different menstrual products. I got 100% on it. Lemme see if I can give you the number...
How "expensive" they are will differ from person to person. To somebody with a heavy flow and longer periods on a lower income, they're going to seem a lot more expensive to somebody with a lighter flow and shorter periods on a high income. Also, for households with more women, they're going to take out more of their budget than it would in a household with only one woman. On top of that, there's the luxury tax, which puts up the cost. It's crazy that essential items like pads and tampons (with all other basic products involving the reproductive system are available free through the NHS) are taxed as a luxury when "essential" items, like kangaroo and crocodile meat and edible sugar flowers, aren't.
Okay, so the average women menstruates between 3-7 days. For the paper, I used an average of 5 days with changes them only every 8 hours. Like I said, I was doing the least amount this would cost you. By having 5 days, using 15 products a cycle, that is 180 products a year and over the average time of menstruating (38 years), you'd ideally use 6, 840 disposable products. If using tampons, and using what I stated above, for 38 years it would cost you $2,138.26. For pads, 1,197.00. Diva cup, 1630.00. Reusable pads, 1,798.80. Obviously, this would be just for the average calculated. Obviously you will use more or less but that is a lot of money. If you're making less than 24,810 (under the poverty line in Canada), spending 63$ a year can be hard to get. If you are working a minimum wage job (In Canada) full time, after tax and housing, you only have about 5,000 a year for food, transportation, etc. If you have a kid who is menstruating, the cost doubles if you're a single mother. CONT
Not to mention the environmental impact of disposable products. Over a lifetime, the average women produces 250-300 pounds of waste associated with her period. Using reusable products is great, but low income families can't afford them. Also, you'll need to take into account the amount of water, soap and electricity being used to clean the reusable products. And then there is the cost associated with bleeding through underwear and clothing... the costs continue to add up aside from the products themselves.
Awesome. Best pranks are massively annoying but don't cause any damage or pain.
-cue someone who breaks down some chemical sticky substance on the pad.
What bugs me is that whilst women have to pay for sanitary pads and tampons, things that are a necessity, in some countries you get free contraception. I'm just repeating something someone already said but it really bugs me.
-cue someone who breaks down some chemical sticky substance on the pad.