When NGOs investigated the actual situation in Japan regarding the state of insufficient availability of sanitary napkins, so-called "physiological poverty," about 2 people answered that they were "embarrassed" as the reason why they could not buy or hesitated. It turned out that I gave it for reasons other than economic reasons, such as being relatively expensive.

In March, the NGO "Plan International Japan" targeted 2,000 people aged 15 to 24 who have menstruation in order to investigate the actual situation in Japan of so-called "physiological poverty" where sanitary napkins cannot be obtained. Was extracted and done on the Internet.

According to this,


1178 people answered

that they did not have or hesitated about the experience of not being able to purchase or obtain sanitary napkins,

which was 59% of the total, while


717 people answered that they did. It was 36%.

When asked the reasons for this in multiple answers to those who answered that there was,


▼ "because of low income" was 31%,


▼ "because it was expensive" was 25%, while many cited economic reasons, while


▼ 18%

said "I'm

embarrassed to buy it myself"

▼


7%


said "I'm

embarrassed to ask

my parents" ▼ 5% said "My parents won't buy it" It was.

Also, when asked about the effects of menstruation on school and work, the percentage of those who took a rest, was late or left early


was 33% overall, compared to 33%.

▼ The percentage is as high as 44% for those who cannot purchase or obtain sanitary napkins or hesitate.

When asked if they could buy low-dose pills or painkillers to relieve menstrual cramps


, 42% said they didn't feel the need to buy them, followed by


▼ "necessary". 33%


said they bought it at, and 19% said they needed it but couldn't buy it. It turned out that


about 1 in 5 people felt they needed medicine but couldn't buy it. ..

When asked in multiple answers why they couldn't buy medicine even though they needed it,


▼ "High price" was 60%


▼ "Reduced income due to new corona" was 19%, while many people cited financial problems


▼ " 31%


said that it

was embarrassing to go to a hospital, etc.

▼ Some people cited other reasons such as 12% saying that they were against the surroundings such as parents.

When asked about their feelings about menstruation in multiple answers,


▼ "I have a hard time with menstruation" was the most common 49%, followed by


▼ "I don't want to get menstruation / I want to stop" 30%,


▼ "

I'm

angry" 18%,


▼ "I'm embarrassed / disliked" was 11%, while many were negative,


▼ "I don't feel anything" was 15%


▼ "I'm happy to have menstruation" was 3%, positive The number of answers is relatively small.

Don't tell your grandparents to "buy sanitary napkins"

Ikumi Harada (42), who lives in Miyazaki Prefecture, was one of the people who couldn't say that she wanted to buy sanitary napkins when she was a child.



It is said that the mother of a single mother rarely returned home, and her grandparents who lived with her were acting as parents.

He reached his first tide when he was in the 4th grade of elementary school, but he couldn't tell his grandparents that he was secretly using the sanitary napkins that his mother had left at home.



When my mother left home for a long time, that wasn't enough, and she continued to use the same napkin all day long, and used multiple layers of toilet paper instead.

It is said that this kind of life continued until he became a high school student and was able to work part-time and earn money.



Mr. Harada said, "Neither my mother nor my grandparents talked about my physical growth in the first place, and if I tell my grandparents that I don't have enough sanitary napkins, my mother may not come home more and more. I couldn't say it because I didn't think it wasn't. I didn't consult with my school teacher because I didn't want to feel sorry for him. "



Mr. Harada now feels that every time he sees or hears about people in evacuation shelters or people in need of life due to a disaster, he may have the same pain in his period. I am disseminating my experience on Twitter.



Mr. Harada said, "At that time, I was so busy with handmade napkins that I didn't realize that the problem was that I didn't have sanitary napkins. If a napkin is installed in the school, even a child like me who is in trouble at a neglect family may realize that the lack of sanitary napkins is a problem and "you can ask for help." I did.

NGO "Physiological problems of society as a whole It is important to make it easy to talk"

Miki Nagashima of the NGO "Plan International Japan" who conducted the survey said, "It is common in the world that there are many people who take menstruation negatively, but in Japan it is still not possible to speak publicly. If you don't talk about it as something that should be hidden, it will not be recognized as a problem in society. It is not embarrassing to recognize that the problem of menstruation is not a problem of one's own body but a problem of the whole society including others. It is important to accept it in society and make it easier to talk as a matter of course. "