Background

In September of 2019, a then-undergraduate student, Hayley Newman-Petryshen, approached LSPIRG with an idea about something she thought needed to change at Laurier. Hayley said that her and her peers found accessing menstrual products on campus to be very difficult and, in the one place they knew they could purchase products, they were very expensive. Since working with students striving for social justice is what LSPIRG is all about, we worked with Hayley to conduct research aimed at exploring menstruators’ experiences at Laurier in order to help inform the next steps in our education and advocacy work.

Purpose

The purpose of this survey was to provide insight into peoples’ experiences with menstruation on campus, with a particular focus on access to menstrual care products. The information gathered is used to inform LSPIRG’s educational programming and advocacy efforts on campus.

Methods

In 2019, LSPIRG conducted a survey of people who use Laurier washrooms, i.e. students, staff and faculty. People of all genders and from all campuses were eligible to complete this survey. This study collected both qualitative and quantitative data. This survey was widely circulated across various in-person and online avenues, intentionally reaching out to folks from Waterloo, Brantford and Kitchener. Informed consent was given by all participants and all data was anonymous and de-identified if applicable.

Results

There were 379 survey respondents. Below are our most significant quantitative statistics, and a few qualitative anecdotes woven in. Respondents shared so much with us and while they are all so valuable, we could not share them all here.

38% of respondents struggle to buy the menstrual products they need.

• 3% struggle very much and 35% struggle somewhat

• 75% (6) of nonbinary respondents struggle at least somewhat and 80% (5) who responded with ‘prefer not to answer’ or ‘not listed’ when asked about their gender identity struggle at least somewhat

• Broken down by campus, 37.2% of Waterloo respondents, 38.8% of Brantford respondents and 66.7% of Kitchener respondents struggle at least somewhat

77.1% of respondents have been on campus and begun menstruating without having adequate supplies with them.

• 77.2% of respondents who identified as cisgender women, 100% (2) of respondents who identified as transgender men and 87.5% (11) respondents who identified as non-binary begun menstruating on campus without supplies

• 80% (4) of respondents who responded with ‘prefer not to answer’ and 100% (2) who responded that their gender was ‘not listed’ begun menstruating on campus without supplies

95.6% of respondents would feel positively about Laurier providing free menstrual products in all washrooms on campus.

• 14.8% would feel ‘positively’, 80.8% would feel ‘very positively’

Respondents who identified as genders other than cisgender were asked which of the following would improve their experience menstruating in gendered "men's" washrooms, though not all necessarily use those washrooms:

• 92.3% (12) checked ‘info on where to access support if you experience harassment’

• 84.6% (11) checked ‘disposal bins in stalls’

• 76.9% (10) checked ‘signage educating people in the washrooms that not just cisgender women menstruate’

• 69.2% (9) checked ‘dispensers with free tampons and pads’

Recommendations

The following recommendations were drawn from this research:

1. There needs to be better communication about where menstrual products are currently available, especially the free products.

2. Laurier should provide free menstrual products in all washrooms across all campuses, just as they do toilet paper.

3. Particular care should be given to reaching marginalized students, who are more affected by period poverty.

4. There should be some reusable period products available, as many as possible.

5. Various organizations and departments should better collaborate on achieving these goals.

Progress Report

As of Winter Term of 2022, the following progress has been made on the above recommendations:

1. LSPIRG, CSEDI and the GSA created educational posters about menstrual equity and where to access products on campus, and we created a Menstrual Equity page on our website to circulate the campaign.

2. Phase 1 of providing period products has been passed, funded and implemented: A 16-month period of free pads and tampons in 14 washrooms across Waterloo, Brantford and Kitchener. More advocacy is needed to secure future roll out so all WLU washrooms provide products.

3. Trans, non-binary and gender non-conforming folks have been prioritized by installed dispensers in all gendered washrooms and putting the ones in gendered men’s washrooms in accessible stalls to increase safety. Intentional promotion to CSEDI and the Indigenous Student Centre allow for students accessing those spaces to be informed.

4. LSPIRG secured funding from the Sustainable Hawk Fund to purchase hundreds of menstrual cups and reusable pads and distributed them throughout 2020 and 2021 through the Free Weekly Distro and Students’ Union Food Bank across campuses. However, LSPIRG is currently advocating for permanent partnerships and funding to provide reusable period products on an ongoing basis.

5. LSPIRG created and chaired a Menstrual Equity Committee and collaborated on strategizing how to achieve menstrual equity at Laurier.

A huge thank you to all of the participants and researchers who made this study possible, which greatly informed our advocacy as we work to achieve menstrual equity at Laurier.

If you have any questions or comments about our research or advocacy, feel free to reach out to info@lspirg.org.