Title: Periods in silence: Why period shame still silences Australian girls
Subtitle: Free pads won’t eliminate shame: A growing number of students and advocates are calling for real menstrual education reform.
Genre: News Commentary
Target Publication: The Guardian Australia
Story Topic And Angle: This news commentary aims to explore the phenomenon of ‘Period Poverty’ and ‘Period Shame’ in Australian schools, discuss the impact of Australian government and education policies on the physical and mental health of girls in schools. The core argument of this commentary is that true menstrual equality requires a change in society’s attitudes and providing free sanitary pads will not eliminate stigma. Australia’s solution to menstrual stigma is to break down gender shame and cultural silence through education.
Target User Group:
- Australian Teenage girls and young women（13-24）
People in this age group may relate to the period shame and poverty that are the subject of this news commentary, perhaps they are experiencing it themselves or someone around them is experiencing it.
- Australian Parents (30-55)
Their children may be facing this problem. To care about their children’s health, they may interact through platforms such as Facebook and The Guardian to promote changes in schools and society.
- People engaged in education-related occupations
They are agents of change. They may read the article and resonate with it and make suggestions for better educational programs and policy improvements in their schools.
Sources Of Information:
- Literature and policies
For example, the Victorian government’s announcement on providing free menstrual products to random public schools, Share the Dignity’s Bloody Big Survey in 2024, and ABC NEWS’s Breaking the menstrual taboo: Why period stigma still holds women back.
- Interview
- Virginia, a female student at school. Wanwenjuanvirginia@163.com
- Share the dignity, A non-profit organization focusing on menstrual health. comms@sharethedignity.org.au
- Australian Education Union. aeu@aeufederal.org.au
- Social media data collection
A poll could be launched on Instagram to survey students on whether they are satisfied with the support provided by their school regarding menstruation. And search for posts with tags like #periodShame #PeriodPovertyAU #MenstrualEquity on social platforms such as Twitter, TikTok, Reddit, etc.
Multimedia:
- Pictures
Some schools in Australia offer free menstrual products — but stigma around periods persists 
Many people have joined the march, and the government and the Ministry of Education must pay attention. - Video
YouTube videos about popularizing knowledge about menstruation or promoting the elimination of menstrual shame. May also shoot a short video about a day in school for menstruating students and talk about the troubles and annoyances that menstrual shame brings to them.
Hyperlink:
To ensure reader trust, deepen context and encourage engagement you can join A Tough Period Global Report, a Plan International Australia survey that found half of Australian boys and young men receive no education about menstruation at school, and the ABC’s report on the extent of period poverty amid rising living costs.
Interactivity:
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- Embed a hyperlink directing readers to a poll (e.g. ‘Have you ever been shamed for your period at school?’), display the data in real time and encourage readers to leave comments.
- Launch the #periodstigma hashtag on the Guardian’s Instagram and encourage readers to post real-life experiences.
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