Ending Period Shame and Poverty in Asia

Some women in Japan and China are launching businesses, founding organizations, and creating art to combat period stigma and address period poverty, in contexts in which menstruation is often a taboo topic.

In both China and Japan, young activists are leading this movement. For example, a group of women under 30 with backgrounds in design thinking, arts, and anthropology are behind Period Pride, a nonprofit organization in China focused on menstrual health and hygiene. In 2020...Period Pride partnered with several women’s groups and scholars to create policy recommendations for the China State Council Women and Children Working Committee.

SOURCE: Stanford Social Innovation Review • AUTHOR: Noriko Akiyama, Fan Li & Wenqian Xu • LAST UPDATED: October 14, 2021