October 28, 2021
Women have always faced equality barriers in our society. Some of those have been fundamental core civil rights, like the right to vote and the ongoing fight for equal pay. And then there are other issues of equality and fairness that are placed on women that seem purposely petty and dubious. This is especially true when it comes to access to and taxing of menstrual products.
Earlier this month, California's Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law Assembly Bill 367 by Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia, requiring schools (grades six to 12), community colleges, California State University system and the University of California system to provide free menstrual products. This new law is an important turning point in the state and a beacon for the country. This law recognizes the impact and importance menstrual products have on the well-being of girls and women.
For school-age girls, the issue of access to menstrual products is directly related to education opportunities. The “State of the Period” study, published in 2019 by Thinx and Period, showed that out of 1,000 teens ages 13 to 19 surveyed, “4 in 5 teens have either missed class time or know a classmate who missed class time because they did not have access to period products.” California’s simple law removes this barrier and allows teen girls to feel secure in attending school and breaks down a potentially significant education barrier.
Assembly Bill 367 is truly groundbreaking and demonstrates an understanding of how valuable girls and women are — and will continue to be — for California. As a state, they understand that providing girls and women with these products freely demonstrates their commitment to supporting their girls, women and human rights. California, through this law, demonstrates that they see girls and women as valuable, wanted, needed, supported and equal in society. Yes, something as simple as providing access to menstrual products is truly an act of empowerment and sets the foundation for further actions on issues regarding gender equity in our society.
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