Period Poverty in Greece is a reality. A survey by It’s Just Period, Deon Policy Institute & WHEN.
1 in 8 women has struggled to afford period products
A new nationwide survey by It’s Just Period, Deon Policy Institute and WHEN shows how widespread period poverty is in Greece. It also looks at the stigma around menstruation and how menstrual pain affects daily life. MRB Hellas was the scientific partner, and Lidl Hellas and the Mediterranean Women’s Fund funded the survey.
Period poverty is not a distant problem that affects only marginalised people and groups. It is a harsh reality for a significant number of women and girls in Greece as well. The new survey by It’s Just Period, Deon Policy Institute and WHEN, with MRB Hellas as scientific partner, is the first to document it with a nationally representative sample.
The survey was carried out in December 2025 with a sample of 2,000 people, as part of MRB’s long-running “Trends” study. It looks at four key aspects of the issue:
- whether people can afford period products,
- the social stigma around menstruation,
- which policy measures people favour, and
- how period pain affects people’s ability to function day to day.
The results show that period poverty is about more than being unable to buy a product. It affects women’s daily lives, education, work and social participation, as well as their dignity and gender equality.
Key findings
- 1 in 8 women (12.5%) say that at least once in the past 12 months, they could not afford to buy period products.
- The figure rises to 19.2% when respondents are asked about another woman in their household.
- 1 in 10 women (10.2%) have used makeshift alternatives to manage their period because they could not afford products.
- Also, 16.6% say that at least once in the past year, they went without basics such as food, bills or medical expenses so they could pay for period-related needs.
Some women carry more of this burden than others. Among women who describe themselves as completely unable to make ends meet, these figures nearly double. By region, Thessaloniki stands out: 28% there have gone without basic necessities.
These difficulties also keep women from education, work and social life:
- 9.3% have missed at least one day of school or university because they had no period products.
- 10.6% have missed at least one day of work.
- 16.9% have cut back on social activities.
Period poverty is not only financial. The survey also shows that stigma around menstruation persists and that period pain disrupts everyday life.
- Almost 6 in 10 people (59.7%) believe women have felt shame or taboo about their period. Society is named as the main cause (36.3%).
- 49.8% of women, almost 1 in 2, say that period pain has disrupted their ability to function at least once in the past 12 months.
From data to solutions
Based on its findings and on international best practice, the survey sets out a full set of policy proposals to tackle period poverty in Greece.
It proposes:
- Reducing or abolishing VAT on period products, which are currently taxed at the highest rate of 24%. Cutting it to 13% or 6% would bring Greece in line with other European countries and with EU recommendations.
- Extending the “Ρισπέκτ στο σώμα σου” (“Respect your body”) school programme nationwide and making it permanent. This way, access to period products and to information about menstruation would not depend on where people live.
- Introducing a €130 annual “Period Voucher” for people who menstruate, aged 10–24, in less developed areas.
- Introducing price caps on essential period products, wherever they are sold.
- Introducing paid menstrual leave for women with severe dysmenorrhea, with a medical certificate, following Spain’s example.
The proposals also call for regular monitoring of retail prices and for working with the private sector.
You can find the full study in Greek, “Period Poverty in Greece and Proposals to Tackle It”, here:
About the initiative
The survey is an initiative of It’s Just Period, Deon Policy Institute & WHEN. MRB Hellas was the scientific partner, and Lidl Hellas and the Mediterranean Women’s Fund provided generous funding.
The initiative is part of a wider effort to tackle period poverty and menstrual stigma in Greece.
About the organisations
Deon Policy Institute is the first and only think tank of the Greek diaspora. It aims to bring best practices from abroad to Greece and is based in Boston.
It’s Just Period is a non-profit organisation leading the campaign to reduce VAT on period products in Greece. It works for menstrual equity through education, awareness-raising and access to period products, with the goal of ending stigma.
WHEN is an organisation dedicated to women’s professional and economic empowerment and to equality at work. Its vision is a world where women and girls can become whoever they can and want to be. Its mission is to help all women have equal opportunities in public life, by empowering them as individuals and by changing their educational, work and social environments.
