Researchers from the University of Southampton have urged for a cultural shift to assist women experiencing 'period poverty.'

This plea was made at the university's Centre for Homelessness Research and Practice (CHRP) annual conference on June 11.

Their project, The Homeless Period, found significant barriers preventing homeless women from managing their menstruation.

The study highlights the global issue of period poverty, impacting women on low incomes who cannot afford sanitary products.

This often leads to the use of alternatives such as cloth or toilet paper.

Dr Stephanie Barker, the university's lead researcher, said: "Access to hygiene products, limited privacy, and a lack of bathroom facilities lead people to abandon other basic needs and put them in vulnerable positions."

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Women told researchers they often cannot access public toilets due to costs or assumptions they are taking drugs.

This results in them changing period products on the street, in parks, or behind rubbish bins.

Dr Barker said: "Very sadly, women talk of feeling ashamed and embarrassed when having their period while on the streets.

"We desperately need a change in culture, where women and people working in the homeless care sector can talk openly about the issue, without feeling uncomfortable or stigmatised."

The research team recommends several measures to address period poverty among homeless women.

These include training for frontline staff to speak openly about periods, signposting to support services, and providing a range of freely available period products to all homeless women.

They also suggest free access to public toilets that are clean and provide menstrual product disposal.

Period poverty was one of the many issues discussed at the 2025 CHRP conference.

Workshops and seminars addressed the disproportionate impact of extreme weather conditions on people who sleep rough and are in low-quality housing, and the role of workforce training in improving support.

Nick Maguire, conference organiser and professor of psychology at the University of Southampton, said: "Collaboration should be a foundation of the success of research and practice in this field if we are to effectively engage in the complexities of homelessness."

The CHRP contributed to a recent government initiative to assess homelessness workforce needs and strategies to address them.