Ignoring menstruation has a $9 billion dollar impact on the Australian economy every year. Up to 80% of Australian women said that premenstrual syndrome (PMS) affects them.
Share the Dignity is a charity working to achieve menstrual equity in Australia by distributing period products to those in need.
In 2021 they looked into the attitudes and experiences around periods that helped shape advocacy work, and inform the work of organisations like the City of Sydney.
The Bloody Big Survey set a global precedent as the most extensive study on menstruation, drawing insights from 125,000 people. Their ambition for 2024 is to exceed 200,000 responses.
How the survey will help
The charity's research has already found:
- nearly half of respondents skipped school or work for a day due to menstrual issues
- there's a noticeable decline in sports and team activities among individuals who menstruate, compared to their male peers.
While the data gathered will broaden the understanding of periods and how it affects those in need, it will also help inform future work to address period poverty by other organisations, including the City of Sydney.
For the first 100,000 completed surveys one period product for each survey will be donated by U By Kotex to Share the Dignity.
How you can help
The Bloody Big Survey is anonymous and is open until Friday 31 May. Have your voice heard by taking the anonymous survey and sharing it with your friends and family.
Take the survey by 31 May.
Published 26 March 2024
