With the 2024 presidential election is just a year away, advocates are doing everything they

Girls miss more school or college days due to periods than any other reason – including colds, mental health or truancy, according to a new report. Periods cause girls to be absent from school or college for three days a term on average, compared with colds and flu (2.6 days), mental health (1.9 days) and truancy (1.2 days), the data released by washroom provider phs Group has revealed. This equates to 54 lost education days over the course of their teen years, the equivalent of 11 academic weeks. The findings form part of phs Group’s Period Equality: Breaking the Cycle report, now in its third year, for which Censuswide polled 1,262 girls aged 13-18 years across the UK. The majority (82%) cited cramps as the main reason for this, while almost one in five (19%) said they stay away from lessons because they’re embarrassed about being on their period, and one in 12 (8%) said it’s because no period products were available to them. This is despite the introduction of period equality measures in recent years, designed to improve access to free period products in education settings. “It’s important to recognise that huge advances have been made in giving girls access to free period products in schools across the UK. What we must do now is close the gap between providing schools with all the products they need and getting them into the hands of any girls that need them, for whatever reason,” said Kelly Greenaway, period equality lead at phs Group. “We know from our own data providing schools with products, that they have more than enough for their girls, so we need to tackle the misconceptions around free access to products in washrooms, and the stigma and shame that goes hand-in-hand with failing to have open conversations about menstruation.” Since the launch of the Government’s Period Product Scheme in January 2020, which provides free period products to education settings in England, via phs Group, 99% of secondary schools and 94% of post-16 organisations have ordered products through the scheme. However, the report published today highlights how periods remain a barrier to education for many girls – with the number of girls missing school due to their periods almost the same for the 2023 findings (54%) as the findings in 2019 (52%), before free sanitary product schemes were introduced. Despite the roll-out of such schemes, over half (52%) of the students surveyed said they did not find period products freely available in their school and college settings, while one in seven (14%) said they did not know if they were available. To help tackle the issue and raise awareness, phs Group is launching a new period equality podcast – called The Blobcast: Free The Period – hosted by menstrual wellbeing and confidence educator Kasey Robinson. Robinson said: “I know too well about the barriers facing so many of us when it comes to our menstrual health. It’s simply not enough to blame absenteeism figures on access to products alone. “On the ground, the story is clear: we aren’t being educated, supported and informed enough about periods. Menstruation is still a taboo subject, and our experience is a secret to keep to ourselves and something we feel forced to hide. In education settings, this is leading to more and more girls staying away from school. “Without workshops, learning resources and the support for and from teachers and caregivers, this issue will stay the same, or get worse,” Robinson added. “It should not be a revolutionary act to teach people about periods, it’s a right. We need to break the cycle of shame and encourage open and honest conversations about periods – exactly what The Blobcast is seeking to do.” The Blobcast: Free The Period launches on all free streaming platforms on October 18. More information can be found at www.phs.co.uk/TheBlobcast.

People are losing their minds over Adidas' recent campaign that appears to show a man sporting a bathing suit. This week, the sports brand launched its Pride 2023 collection, which features a model who appears to be male – but whose gender has not been specified – wearing their "Pride Swimsuit" retailed at $70 (£50). Adidas said the campaign is "a celebration of self-expression, imagination and the unwavering belief that love unites." The swimwear, designed by South African designer Rich Mnisi, was soon shared on Twitter, where it racked up 6.8 million views at the time of writing. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Many more divisive opinions followed. Former NCAA swimmer and women’s rights activist Riley Gaines chimed in: "Women’s swimsuits aren’t accessorised with a bulge." "I don’t understand why companies are voluntarily doing this to themselves. They could have at least said the suit is ‘unisex,’ but they didn’t because it’s about erasing women. Ever wondered why we hardly see this go the other way?" Meanwhile, others urged critics to "calm down", with one claiming bathing suits have been "a style of men's beach wear since the early 20th century." "It's just clothing," they added. Another said, "It's not that serious." "Who. The. Hell. Cares. Don’t want to see it, don’t look, it’s really simple," a third penned. One fan of the swimsuit wrote: "Who cares about the models, I love the look of the swimsuit." In a press release earlier this week, Adidas said the collection "is inspired by a love letter Mnisi wrote to his younger self," and acts as "a rallying cry for active allyship to empower and champion the LGBTQIA+ community." Indy100 reached out to Adidas for comment. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

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