The Realities of Period Poverty: How Homelessness Shapes Women’s Lived Experiences of Menstruation

Abstract

In this chapter, Vora focuses on the lived experiences of menstruation and homelessness. She offers an insight into the ways in which women experiencing homelessness understand and negotiate their leaky, menstrual bodies within contexts of limited financial and material resources. This study explores the scale of the personal, offering a phenomenological insight into the homeless experience of menstruators. Through personal interviews, Vora reveals that menstruation is regarded as a negative, emotional, and expensive experience. The participants are conscious of their doubly stigmatized status as homeless and menstruating, and they mobilize strategic rationalities to manage and conceal their menstrual status. Finally, Vora critically analyzes charitable initiatives that strive to alleviate the challenges faced when menstruating while homeless.