Let's get the nation talking about menstruation | Victoria Heaney | TEDxGlasgow

With her research into period poverty uncovering shocking statistics around the spread and depth of the problem right here in our country, Victoria wants to challenge us to not only rethink menstruation but to start talking about it. You could say that she is a woman on a menstrual justice mission. Victoria will discuss how her she reframed her role as an activist to become a social researcher in her pursuit of creating evidence around a notoriously under-researched subject. The research is not only about women in poverty. It uncovered real issues around stigma and shame, which need to be challenged in order for us to open up a national conversation that can create a cultural shift in our attitudes. A conversation that is drastically needed if we wish to stop forcing women to choose between food or sanitary wear. Victoria Heaney is a woman on a crusade for menstrual justice. She is a member of one of Scotland’s most effective grassroots organisations “Women for Independence”. Her commitment to feminism and gender equality led her to create #FreePeriodScotland, a national research study that set out to create a never seen before evidence base around period poverty. The findings of her research highlighted that period poverty was but a scratch on a surface of one of the most salient hidden issues of our time. This has propelled Victoria to go beyond period poverty and to take the topic of menstruation into the mainstream. Fighting for equality is intrinsic to her values and something that has followed her all her life. From supporting women to pursue equal pay in her hometown as a trade unionist to being an International Observer for the Catalonian Government, her pursuit of doing the right thing is a natural part of her character. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx