Counting Every Cycle: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Understanding Period Product Insecurity in the United States

Abstract

Period product insecurity, defined as the lack of enough period products due to income, remains an understudied aspect of material hardship in the United States. Despite increasing public awareness, few tools exist to measure this type of hardship, which limits efforts to understand its prevalence, outcomes, and policy responses. This dissertation focuses on four connected issues: (1) the lack of a validated measure for period product insecurity, (2) the limited understanding of its link to mental health, and (3) the scarce empirical evidence on the social and political factors influencing state period product policies and (4) the consequences of experiencing period product insecurity and what period supply banks are doing to address them. To address these gaps, I created the Van Ness Period Product Insecurity Scale (VNPPIS), based on cognitive interviews, pilot tests, and survey methods adapted from the U.S. Household Food Security Survey Module. I estimated that roughly 8 percent of the U.S. adult population experiences period product insecurity and its associations with depressive and anxiety symptoms. At the same time, I compiled a new dataset of over 1,300 state bills related to period product introduced between 2009 and 2024. I use multilevel regression with poststratification (MRP) to model how public attitudes toward groups correlate with the likelihood of adopting strong policies. I then explore experiences of individuals experiencing PPI in the absence of public policies to support them. Findings indicate that period product insecurity is widespread, especially among low-income groups. State-level analysis shows that more comprehensive, inclusive policies are more likely to pass in states where public opinion supports marginalized communities and considers them deserving of aid. Overall, these findings emphasize that period product insecurity is both measurable and impactful, and that meaningful solutions can be implemented through public policy.