Two Billion People, One Essential Resource: The Water Crisis Behind Period Poverty

Around the world, over 2 billion people menstruate every month. While for many, access to products and water from a tap unfolds without much thought, hundreds of millions of women and girls must navigate a system without that same access. This is a logistical crisis dictated by the presence – or absence – of clean water.

The reality runs much deeper than the simple need for hygiene, its impact extends to work, education, health and economic power. In 7 out of 10 households without water on-site, the burden falls solely on women and girls to collect water for the whole household. In parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, the average woman or girl spends the equivalent of nearly two weeks a year travelling to a water source and back – now, imagine doing that on your period, without access to proper sanitation and products. When that’s the case, water stops being a resource and starts being a barrier to a girl’s future.

The Time Poverty Trap: Water as a Hidden Tax

When we talk about period poverty, we often focus on the cost of pads – Scotland made history in 2020 by passing the Free Provisions Bill and becoming the first country in the world to make tampons and pads freely available to anyone who needs them. While this was a huge step forward, “time poverty” creates a cycle where the lack of infrastructure dictates both a woman’s economic and physical agency.

For those who cannot afford disposables, reusable cotton pads are often a solution. Yet, washing these products thoroughly for each cycle requires 20-40 litres of clean water. When travelling several miles to collect water not just for this, but also cooking, washing and drinking, it becomes a barrier to both a woman or girl’s “time wealth” and economic potential.

By treating water access as a neutral infrastructure goal, we ignore the fact that it is a gendered burden. When water is far away, the “time tax” paid by women and girls prevents them from investing in the very activities, like work and study, that could lift them out of poverty.

Education: The Period Attendance Gap

The data is clear: enrolment is only half the battle. While it is a massive win for gender equality that 50 million more girls have been enrolled in school since 2015, that progress is incredibly fragile. We are currently seeing 5 million more girls completing every level of education from primary to upper secondary, yet these gains are put at risk every month by poor or non-existent menstruation facilities. A lack of basic infrastructure means that girls are forced to miss out on their education simply because of their periods. Globally, 1 in 3 schools lack basic bins for menstrual waste, and in Sub-Saharan Africa, that availability plummets to just 1 in 10.

This infrastructure deficit translates directly into empty desks. In India, a quarter of girls miss school during their periods, while in South Sudan, that number rises to more than half of all adolescent girls. When asked, girls in rural areas cite the lack of a private toilet with a locking door and access to clean water as the number one reason they stay home. We can build classrooms, hire teachers – and even change the cultural norms that prevent girls from attending school – but if we don’t provide clean water and private toilets with locking doors, millions of girls are being told that their education is secondary to their periods.

The Stigma and Health Connection

Cultural norms and stigma still perpetuate unhelpful, and sometimes harmful, myths about menstruation. These taboos often mean that many girls have no prior knowledge of menstruation before their first period – a reality for 36% of women in Bangladesh. This lack of open conversation prevents both physical and emotional preparedness, often creating an association of shame with a completely natural cycle.

These taboos can also act as barriers with severe health implications. In Egypt, for example, some girls have been taught to avoid water contact entirely during their cycle because it is forbidden. When myths discourage washing, and a lack of clean water makes it impossible to sanitise products like menstrual cups or reusable pads, women and girls face significantly higher risks of infection.

We cannot solve period poverty with products alone if the prevailing culture tells a girl she is impure for using them. To truly clear the path for the next generation, we must overcome stigma, alongside scarcity.

Economic Power and Crisis Resilience

The connection between water and gender is perhaps most visible when systems begin to break. We often view water as a resource, but for millions of people, it is a business asset. Female street vendors in places like Kenya report having to close their businesses if they cannot afford to buy water, directly impacting their economic agency. This fragility shows the huge impact of water on women’s lives and livelihoods.

This vulnerability is drastically scaled up in conflict-affected areas – where 600 million women and girls now live. In Gaza, over 540,000 women and girls of reproductive age currently face life without access to menstrual products, while in Lebanon, economic crisis drove the price of pads up by a staggering 234%.

In these cases women are forced towards water-intensive reusable options, or even rags and scraps of tent materials. Whether it is a market stall in Kenya or in the midst of a war zone, menstrual health is consistently treated as low priority in emergency response. We must recognise that a woman’s ability to remain resilient in a crisis is inextricably linked to her access to a safe, reliable water source.

What Changes When Water Does?

Water access and menstrual health are deeply intertwined and true gender equality depends on taking both seriously. We must shift towards gender-intentional infrastructure that supports those who menstruate to move through their cycles safely, cleanly, and healthily. As we have seen, the impacts of these investments don’t end with women and girls they ripple through entire communities.

When schools provide the right facilities – private, lockable, and water-accessible toilets – girls’ attendance increases and their long-term economic potential grows. To achieve the Global Goals, menstrual health must be bumped up from a low priority emergency response, to a fundamental pillar of water security. By ensuring progress includes every single person, regardless of their period, we ensure that no one is left behind.

Author: Celeste Sangster, Senior Campaigns and Communications Manager, Project Everyone