The Business Of Our Periods: Why Are Feminine Products So Darn Expensive?
Like last year when the world was overcome with a mysterious scarcity of O.B. tampons. The shortage not only left shelves bare from New York City to as far away as New Delhi, India, but also spawned a black market – red market to be more exact – with some crafty opportunists hustling the non-applicator tampons via EBay, at as much as $150 for four boxes. Then there is the tampon-less plight of the young women in remote parts of Africa and Asia.
Thousands of those young girls regularly miss school because they can’t afford the convenience of feminine hygiene products. And then what about the sisters on lockdown, who have to suffer through budget cuts, which means that women-specific products like tampons and sanitary napkins, are among the first to go. According to a recent article in Ms. Magazine about the shortage of feminine hygiene products in some of our nation’s prisons, “Women described to me the discomfort and smell, especially in the summer, of living in close quarters with other women who are often menstruating simultaneously.” Talk about cruel and unusual punishment.
And how can we forget about how many first world countries level a tax on feminine hygiene products. In Canada, which recently instated the Harmonized Sales Tax, feminine hygiene products are taxed at 5 percent. This means that women have been unfairly penalized by an estimated $69 million dollars per year since the law was enacted in 2010. After some outcry, certain parts of Canada began offering tax rebates for feminine hygiene products including tampons and maxi-pads. Closer to home, several states in the union have longed taxed feminine products as they are seen as luxury (non-essential products). But if you ask me, there is nothing luxurious about having your friend pay an unexpected visit while you’re wearing white pants in the middle of a board meeting.
According to “Feminine Hygiene Products: A Global Strategic Business Report” created by Global Marketing Strategies, the feminine hygiene products market, remained more or less unfazed by the recent spikes of surging raw material costs but the cost of fuel prices could be behind the rise in our tampons and sanitary napkins. However, there might be something more telling afoot. According to the same report, which profiles 134 companies including feminine hygiene heavy weights like Johnson & Johnson, Kimberly-Clark Corporation, Playtex Products Inc., and Procter & Gamble, future projection suggests that the global feminine product market will reach an estimated $15.2 billion by 2017, thanks in part to more focus on “private label versions” and a new customer base. Written in the report: “The steadily growing population, rise in the number of working women and subsequent increased demand for convenient disposable items, maintenance of health, and hygiene standards and rising awareness among women in rural areas stand out as strong market fundamentals that will help nail down growth patterns across the world.”
