UBC groups support the province's efforts to help end period poverty and hope it might promote more positive change at the university.
Last Friday, BC announced that it is allocating $750,000 to back a new, multi-sector task force aimed at ending period poverty in the province.
Period poverty is when people who menstruate struggle to afford basic period hygiene products and are therefore unable to participate in daily life as usual.
“We're very happy that this is the way it's moving forward,” said Zeba Khan, UBC master’s student of medicine, reproductive and developmental sciences and founder and executive director of Free Periods Canada. “This is something we've talked about in different conversations before, and this is the right step forward.”
Levonne Abshire, director of health equity, promotion, and education in Student Health and Wellbeing at UBC, is also optimistic about BC’s announcement. She said that although this task force alone might not end period poverty, there is a need for increased access to products, especially with so many people still working and studying from home.
“I think it's really important to think about the places and the whole ecosystem and environment in which women and Trans individuals who experience periods are thought about in the places in which they live so that they can have access as well,” said Abshire.
Since 2019, Free Periods Canada has collaborated with UBC custodial services to provide free menstruation supplies throughout campus. However, no formal commitment has officially been put in place. Khan said she admires that UBC has identified this need, but she hopes that this new provincial task force may help solidify a more concrete mandate from the school.
“That's something I'd love to see in the future, is for UBC to actually recognize formally that ... this is something we need to make sure we're doing, so that when I leave UBC and I finally graduate, this continues to be provided.”
Khan also said she hopes UBC will provide assistance for students to afford environmentally-friendly products, which tend to have a higher upfront cost than other menstruation products.
Cost of products is a significant factor for those with financial limitations. A 2020 study from Western University shows that women, Trans people and others who experience menstruation spend approximately $6,000 on period supplies over the course of their lives.
“I'm really curious to see who the United Way will bring together in the community to help really address period poverty. And I think it's going to take a multi-sectoral approach, whether that's including health, including education, maybe even including post-secondary institutions, because we know that affordability is of concern for many of our students, ” said Abshire.
Both Khan and Abshire said that they would love for UBC to collaborate with the new task force. But Khan said she’s just happy to support the initiative however possible.
“I think the purpose of this task force is to be very small and efficient. And I know resources are limited. So if we are not formally a part of this task force ... we're still going to do our best to support our colleagues that are doing this work.”