Throughout history, women’s period was considered a taboo. Women during their period were not only regarded as unsanitary, but also ominous. Today, nothing much has changed. At co-ed schools, female students would hide their sanitary pads when heading to the toilet, as if it is their most shameful secret. When one buys sanitary pads at convenience stores, one will receive it in an opaque black vinyl.

 

Since current sex education lacks enough explanation, not many men are aware of what women go through during their period. Some think that the menstruation discharges are blue, as the majority of the sanitary pad advertisement represents blood as blue-colored. Some also think that menstruation itself is similar to urine, that it is selective, and can be controlled with ease. Such ignorance leads to a casual yet destructive disregard of this natural and inevitable phenomenon.

 

An awkward reality, where every female experiences menstruation while everyone denies its existence, is right beside us. In this reality, it is obvious that sanitary pads are not considered a necessity. Its cost also reflects such misperception. The fact that the pads were specified as tax-free products, is abused by the few corporations in the oligopolistic sanitary pad market. According to statistics by the member of the National Assembly Kim Seung Hee, the price difference between the delivery cost and distribution cost rates up to 264 percent.

 

Things need to change. According to research by the weekly Sisa-in-Live, Women experience their period for three to seven consecutive days per month on average. Although it differs from person to person, women generally begin menstruation at age 12, and experience menopause at 55. Thus, a woman would experience about 500 periods for around 3000 days in her lifetime. This would require about 12,000 sanitary pads.

 

This in total costs a tremendous amount of money, which is burdensome for low-income households. Recently, media was bombarding members of society with stories of girls who use shoe insoles and toilet paper in substitute for the sanitary pads. To prevent similar incidents from happening, the government not only has to regulate the sanitary pads’ price, but also provide sanitary pads in the low-income households for free.

 

Just like the case of the New York City assembly, the United States (U.S.), who voted for a provision of free sanitary pads and tampons in public schools, prisons, and homeless shelters in June, Korea needs to follow suit. “Menstrual equity,” as the New York City councilor Julissa Ferrares-Copeland argues, is not a far-away thing. With systematical change, drastic differences are possible within a short span of time.

 

Menstruation is a natural physiological phenomenon that is no different from any other. Hence, sanitary pads are nothing but a necessity. Things need to change—no one should be deprived of their basic rights on health, just because they do not have enough money for a necessity. It is the government’s role to cover the menstrual rights area, and to change the overall perception of people through education. No more shoe insoles.