Theft of sanitary products exposes the desperation of period poverty

Some women and girls in South Australia are using socks as sanitary pads, wearing tampons for more than two days and stealing products from supermarkets because they cannot afford menstrual supplies.

Adelaide social worker Cate Sherlock described period poverty as an invisible struggle across the state. She said she repeatedly heard about young women stealing enough products to last a month. Some people also wear products for so long that they begin to smell, then face questions about their hygiene despite being unable to afford several products a day.

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Young women entering supermarkets and stealing products for the month is a recurring thing I hear.

Teachers told ABC they see the problem in schools. One South Australian wellbeing teacher said Year 6 teachers bought products and kept them in classroom drawers for girls to use. Another said social justice and wellbeing budgets helped buy supplies so teachers would not have to pay personally. “Many families are struggling to put food on the table,” the teacher said. “They are struggling to pay for such expensive products and it's going to get worse with our current climate.”

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They are wearing period products for a long period of time and then getting asked about their hygiene because they start to smell.

A public service social worker said she discussed period poverty with someone nearly once a fortnight. Many homeless women, she said, use socks instead of pads and tampons because of the cost. She also recalled a woman fleeing domestic violence who had to choose between buying petrol to escape during the night and buying menstrual products.

Share the Dignity surveyed more than 150,000 menstruating Australians in 2024. It found that 66% of South Australians had struggled to afford period products at some point. Sherlock wants assessments of people's psychosocial needs to include whether they can afford menstrual supplies.

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Many families are struggling to put food on the table.