International Women’s Day 2022

What’s the difference between a cup of tea and your period? You can decide to not have a cup of tea, but you can’t decide to not have your period. So why is tea complimentary in the workplace, but period products aren’t? 

Menstruation is not a choice, and there is nothing shameful about it. It happens to 50% of the population.

At Dignity, we want to end the shame and anxiety of being caught out by a surprise period. We believe period products should be available to anyone, anytime. 

“There is period poverty, but there is also period equity...That's where everyone gets caught short regardless of your financial circumstances.”
Dignity Co-founder Jacinta Gulasekharam

On average, 75% of women are caught out by their period at least once a year, often while at work. More than 80% of them have reported to feel more supported by their employers with Dignity.

Why Dignity

This International Women’s Day, join us in celebrating all women* through our Buy-one, Give-one initiative. Choose a tangible way to show your support by making free period products available in your workplace. 

Benefits of going with Dignity include:

• reducing emotional and physical burden of menstruation

• reducing the gender pay gap

• helping businesses become more inclusive and health and wellbeing focused by acknowledging and normalising periods

• providing a tangible and actionable step towards achieving larger diversity and gender equity goals.

Break the Bias

This year’s theme for International Women’s Day is “Break the Bias”, a concept strongly tied in with Dignity values and mission.

At Dignity we believe no one should miss out on opportunities simply because they have their period. We value gender equality, diversity and inclusion. We believe in period equity.

Individually, we are responsible for our thoughts and actions. Collectively, we can all come together and break the bias.

Impact reports

Dignity works with businesses like Xero, ANZ, Sheresies, PSA and Chorus. 

We at Dignity are all about transparency and accountability. After three months, we send a survey to our Impact Partners to measure the impact of providing Dignity in the workplace.

Employees have all reported an increase in reassurance, appreciation and feeling of support since being offered Dignity’s Buy-one, Give-one initiative.

• On average, employees recorded that having Dignity at work made them feel 84.6% more personally supported.

• Responders felt the Buy-one, Give-one initiative was 90.3% important to them.

• 67% of menstruators said they would use the same amount of products if the initiative continued, whereas 30.3% stated they would use more.

Below are some quotes from our partners.

“Super useful! I had a surprise period on my first week at work and I get gender dysphoria to go with it... having an emergency pad saved me no end of embarrassment and really helped me have a good experience at the office.”
Sheresis employee

“It saved me a stressful trip to the supermarket during the middle of the day. I didn't have to worry about bleeding on my clothes, or explaining to my manager why I had to leave work and miss a meeting”.
Sharesies employee

“I didn't have regular access to period products growing up which put me in some really uncomfortable situations. It feels awesome knowing that Sharesies supports Dignity in preventing that happening to other young kiwis.” 
Sharesies employee 

“This is so awesome for the women of ANZ but also the women in schools who have this support. I feel proud that ANZ is supporting such an awesome company that makes a difference to the women of New Zealand.”
ANZ employee

“I think this encourages and celebrates women's empowerment, independence, and confidence.”
ANZ employee

“I think it is a great initiative as any woman at Chorus knows there is no shame in having your period while at work.”
Chorus employee

“[It feels] like we are being progressive and recognising the burden on women to have to pay for products for a natural function, which men don't have to – it adds to inequality. Proud of our union for doing this.”
PSA employee

“It's ridiculously cool and makes me delighted.”
PSA employee 

This International Women’s Day, help us deliver period equity. Join our Buy-one, Give-one initiative and show your support by making free period products available in your workplace. 

* Not all menstruators are women, and not all women are menstruators. We celebrate all menstruators and people who identify as women.