On July 21, the government of India made a huge decision to terminate sales tax on feminine hygiene products. After months of campaigning, the many activists who demanded an end to the 12 percent tax on items like pads and tampons scored a great victory. Not only is this a sizable step in the process of closing the gender pay gap in India, but it will help girls be able to receive a quality education and keep steady jobs.
With a large portion of India being underdeveloped, "period poverty" is a common and serious phenomenon occurring throughout the country. "Period poverty" is an issue where girls around the world are unable to afford menstrual products like pads and tampons. "Period poverty" has two possible outcomes: afflicted girls are forced to stay at home and skip important places to be (including school and work), or they will use items like cloths and rags, which can be hazardous if they are not clean. Either way, none of these options are acceptable to women living in the 21st century.
By making menstrual products too expensive and keeping women out of critical places in their lives, the intellect and societal status of women will decline and impede any social progression or reform. Luckily, the women of India realized this tribulation and acted swiftly on it, proving that pushing the government with a little activism can lead to tremendous outcomes.
There is no doubt that periods can be quite a hassle, especially in places with limited access to sanitary products. From tracking them, to dealing with the symptoms, to keeping everything sanitary, periods are not an agreeable time in a woman's life. Keeping all of this in mind, governments all across the world (including most states in the United States) label feminine hygiene products as "luxury" products, hence the sales tax. Because periods are an unavoidable and natural process of the female anatomical functions, it is completely unfair to claim that the items used to clean up after them are not necessities.
To provide an example of the items that do not have a sales tax on them in some states, therefore considered "necessary," are Chapstick, dandruff shampoo and even Viagra. Some governments believe that dry scalps, crusty lips and erections are far more important than a woman's menstrual cycle.
Over half of the global population experiences periods every single month, so there is no excuse to burden them with paying extra for a bodily function that they cannot control. Women across the world spend hundreds of dollars buying menstrual products, and it is time to at least eliminate the sales tax on them. By following in the footsteps of countries like India, Canada and Nigeria and states like Florida, New York and Minnesota, females everywhere could save a great deal of hard-earned money from their budgets and be less aggravated and stressed when that time of the month rolls around.
