‘Period poverty’ is an increasingly popular term referring to the inability to afford menstruation products. It is a growing social issue in Britain within the socio-political context of austerity, with many menstruating people suffering from the expense of sanitary wear. I am interested in the recently recognised social epidemic of period poverty in the North East specifically as a region acutely affected by the UK government’s austerity policies.
Through an interdisciplinary lens, my PhD project explores the everyday lived experiences of young women negotiating the socio-political site of the school and their everyday lives in the context of period poverty. I seek to explore how the inability to afford menstruation products impacts upon young women’s education, wellbeing and transition into the adult world of work. Drawing from human geography, sociology, anthropological and cultural research and methodologies, my research is situated within a feminist theoretical and political framework to develop the academic discussion of period poverty and menstruation in the social sciences.
There is a severe lack of research around menstruation and period poverty in the social sciences. I am joining the embryonic debate with my PhD to inform research for scholars, policy and education to improve the overall social and mental well-being, health and status of women in the UK.
Preferred name for contact: Lottie!
