Ranty post ahead! Ok so I'm going to blat out a bunch of words, and I'm sure this could be written far better and go deeper into all sorts of stuff (... patriarchy) BUT here goes.
I do not enjoy getting my period. It's long, heavy and painful. It wakes me up at night. It distracts me from work, parenting, whatever I'm doing at the time a wave of cramps hit. That particularly sucks when I'm driving. And back in my cafe work days, it sure was awful smiling through a wave of near-nauseating pain at customers who just needed their coffee like, yesterday.
You know what else sucks? Being on a benefit. With a period. Every month, I somehow need an extra say, $20 or so, to buy regular pads, super pads, overnight pads and tampons. And liners. Because, sure, WINZ will just give me an extra $20 every month right? WRONG!
Mooncups. They are frikking awesome. I just wish that I could find one that worked with my slightly altered anatomy since giving birth. I've tried 3- one was cheap at $10, one was free from a friend who no longer used it (they get sterilised and I'm not turning my nose up at a money saving, Earth-healthy option for managing periods!) and the other was $50. I can't afford to keep buying different ones hoping I'll find one that fits properly. I'm on a benefit, y'all.
Perhaps the biggest bug bear about periods and benefits, is that I'm doing just peachy compared to a lot of people in New Zealand. What about the homeless who get periods? What about the "middle class" 2 income families that are scraping by each week? They don't even receive a benefit.
Bursting into tears on Cuba Street cos I couldn't afford pads and I'd left all my supplies at home, that was a real low point. Being a beneficiary is effing hard. I also work part time, and I'm worse off financially for it than not working at all! The system is fucked. Also, there are a lot of beneficiary bashers out there. Just check out the comments on Stuff articles.
Being a woman is effing hard. (Not just "women" get periods, I'm using that term as "I identify as a woman and female with a uterus etcetc.) I've got all the usual bullshit patriarchy to deal with, plus the beneficiary bashing to deal with, the solo mum stereotype (which makes no sense), and the awesome crossover of them all as I'm on my peroid, downing ibuprofen and cooking for my 3 year old. I feel double-penalised for being a woman and on WINZ.
End rant.
PS. Empathetic comments only, please!
Well you have my empathy, being a kiwi, a solo mum, a woman ....
Watch the bene-bashing come out in full force each time 'they' need to deflect attention away from something 'they' want to slip through under the radar. It's classic tactics. I've learned to steer well clear of all discussions on the subject as you simply cannot win.
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<3
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I can't imagine how difficult that must be.
Here in the USA, indigenous girls on the reservations often miss school during their period because of poverty. The government pro ides food subsidies, but there are no tampon subsidies.
I see homeless women who cannot afford tampons, they have no where to clean up.
Judgement sucks. People could use the same energy to develop empathy. It's heart breaking that humanity prefers to be callous.
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It's so screwed up that there are so many people (and very significantly Indigenous peoples) that miss out on what is basic human health care/hygiene or whatever it comes under!
I feel we need more empathy in the world too.
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Sorry to hear how you were feeling back when you wrote this - and hoping things are going well for you since.
In case you haven't come across them Dignity is a Wellington company with the eventual aim of making sure free sanitary items are available to all women in NZ. They are starting by getting companies to provide free sanitary items to staff and matching with a buy one give one model for high schools where girls don't attend due to lack of access.
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