According to a report, 70% of the women in our country cannot afford sanitary products. In a country where 88% of the female population uses cloth, newspapers, cotton, and rags instead of proper menstrual hygiene products, affordability is a reason for most of them.Yes, lack of awareness is also a factor, but what good is knowing what proper care means if you don’t have the money to pay for it?
The average price of a single, and very basic sanitary napkin or a tampon is about 10 rupees. A woman with normal flow needs to change a napkin every 4-5 hours, and a tampon every 3 hours. That is 3 pads, and 4 tampons a day. For someone with a heavy flow, this number is higher. Multiply that by four, and you will find that an average woman spends about 120 to 160 rupees a month on menstrual hygiene, out of which up to 14% is taxed, depending on the state you are in.
Now a 100-something rupees a month may not seem like a big deal to some folk. But, understand that for the majority, it is far too much. More than they can afford to spend on basic hygiene. But, that is also besides the point.
The fact of the matter is that we pay taxes on a product, in this case, sanitary hygiene products, that we don’t want but need. We did not choose to have periods. We did not invent diseases that commonly occur if proper hygiene is not maintained during our periods. It is how the female body functions, and to stay healthy and safe and functioning, we need pads and tampons.
Menstrual hygiene products are medical products that the government should subsidise and even provide for free where there is a need. There is a lot we pay taxes on, and a lot of these things may even be necessary. Similarly, there are a lot of things that are tax free, but are not necessary. For example, sindoor. Yes, this symbol of a woman’s holy matrimony is tax free, while something that can protect her from illness is not.
What is menstrual tax about then, if not misogyny?
A study conducted by SheSays, the NGO that started the #LahuKaLagaan campaign, which demands tax-free sanitary products, revealed that adolescent girls miss about five days of school because of their period, and about 23% drop out of school when they start menstruating. So if the government says that the taxes contribute to the development of the country, what is not understood is that many women are held back from being productive parts of the economy because of lack of basic menstrual hygiene and education.
Sure, removing tax is not the solution to this multilayered problem of the stigma, health issues, and lack of awareness and education that surrounds menstruation. But, it is a step, and an important one in the web of strategies needed to remove the taboo, and make basic hygiene accessible to all.
