Girls Still Shy About There Periods
It seems that despite women’s lib, when it comes to talking about their periods, many Aussie women are still in the dark ages. The nationwide STAYFREE ® Survey1 has found that 92 per cent of Australian women would rather discuss private matters such as childbirth, their sex life or their religious views over their period – and it seems Gen Y is the shyest.
Younger women are the most likely to feel embarrassed revealing their need to use sanitary products, with 77 per cent openly admitting they go to great lengths to hide it from those around them.
The STAYFREE ® Survey delved into the psyche of modern women and their thoughts about their period - investigating the unspoken taboos women feel when it comes to their monthly cycle and how this affects their readiness to seek information and even how they shop.
It seems we’re a nation of women easily embarrassed by the mere suggestion of our period when in public. Common tasks such as buying sanitary products are seen as a chore with 96 per cent of women feeling more comfortable browsing for fruit, magazines or cereals than spending time looking for sanitary items.
30 per cent of Australian women admit they commonly conceal their sanitary purchases while shopping – with common tactics including: hiding sanitary items under other items in trolleys, buying other items not necessarily needed or even asking someone else to buy sanitary products on their behalf!
According to women’s health expert, Dr Terri Foran, the STAYFREE ® Survey highlights the need for younger women to actively work together to break down the taboo nature of periods and ditch the stigmas of the past.
“The research confirms that despite all our advances, many young women still don’t feel completely comfortable talking about their period, even if they need more information. I’d like to encourage young women to ditch the old-fashioned belief that periods are something you should feel ashamed of. The truth is that periods are healthy and normal and should never get in the way of a modern woman’s quality of life.” Dr Foran said.
Commissioned on behalf of STAYFREE®, the results coincide with the recent packaging upgrade which recognises that women want to find the right sanitary product quickly. All STAYFREE® products are now in blue packs and the new design has clear colour coding to distinguish between light (orange), regular (green) and super (pink) absorbencies at a glance.
The STAYFREE® product range which includes full size pads, ultra thins and overnights are available in grocery and pharmacy stores nationwide.
