Shante Cameron wants to address the inequity in period care for young women.
Shante Cameron wants to address the inequity in period care for young women.
The use of alternatives to traditional sanitary products among young Kiwi women is growing as inflationary pressures drive up the “cost of menstruation”.
One Māori wāhine wants to address the growing inequity in period care, with new data showing Kiwi women are paying hundreds of dollars per year for sanitary products.
Research shows around 95,000 or, one in 12 students, have missed school due to lack of access to period products.
Shante Cameron, director of Petal & Flo, says women would use around 11,000 to 17,000 products on average over a 40-year time span, which in today’s terms would cost over $13,000 per person.
She says thousands of Kiwi women are using reusable period underwear as an alternative to traditional sanitary products, which new data shows are around 10 times more expensive.
“Our research shows that the cost of traditional sanitary products from the supermarket would cost up to $328 per annum.
“In comparison a pair of period underwear lasts for around three years which would cost as little as $33 each year.
“Our concern is that there is a relationship between the inequitable lack of access to these personal care products and education outcomes for the tens of thousands of female students that miss school each year - as a result of their normal menstrual cycle.
“We know from our research that the global period panties market is expected to grow at an annual growth rate of 17 per cent from 2023 to reach US$375 million by 2030,” she says.
Cameron says the use of the products in New Zealand is growing by a much faster rate with her own sales data showing annual increases of 223 per cent.
Shante Cameron with her product she hopes will bring equity in period care for young wāhine.
She says in addition to the financial benefits of these products, they are more discreet and environmentally friendly.
“I grew up in Tāmaki Makaurau with younger sisters and periods were always a struggle for me. As an older sister, I wanted to create something that would improve their experience with periods, with a flow-on effect for all girls and women.
“As a Māori wāhine I am committed to making ikura (periods) a better, more empowering experience for women and girls and encourage more open conversations about a subject that is often off-limits in many cultures.
“Puberty can be a minefield to navigate as a young teen – and we hope to remove some of these challenges by providing comfortable, sustainable period-proof underwear that anyone can feel confident wearing,” she says.
A netball coach herself, Cameron says the range is all about providing women with the ability to keep active during their period.
“Our goal is to remove the awkwardness around period wear and give females back the confidence they want to enjoy all the things they love, whether they are experiencing their first period, maternity or post-partum.
“Together with my father, who is also my business partner, we are on a mission to encourage stigma-free conversations about periods.
“We hope to encourage everyone to take part in learning and growing together and we are proud to partner with The Period Place – a Kiwi charity working towards period equity through providing menstrual health resources to empower individuals and whānau.”
