Evaluating the Opportunities and Limitations of Social Enterprises in Addressing Period Poverty in Rural India

Social enterprises play a significant role in advancing social justice and global health by employing innovative strategies to address health disparities within underserved communities. Period poverty, defined as the lack of access to feminine hygiene products, represents a global health challenge. Social enterprises have emerged as a tool to combat this issue in several countries, including India, but face barriers in widespread implementation in rural areas. This study evaluates the opportunities and limitations social enterprises have in combating period poverty in rural India with a focus on Goonj, a New-Delhi based social enterprise dedicated to bridging the gaps of resources between urban and rural settings in India. Goonj has made recent strides in fighting period poverty, establishing itself as a social enterprise capable of enhancing women’s health in rural India through their production of recycled cloth sanitary napkins. Through an analysis of opportunities and limitations in social enterprises, this study highlights social entrepreneurship as a practical approach to minimize the occurrence of period poverty. However, social enterprises must be supported by policies and consistent stakeholders to ensure the legitimacy of their work. Developing smaller-scale, local operations that employ women within the community, raise awareness, provide menstrual education, and distribute health resources can be effective in combating the inaccessibility of feminine hygiene products. Improved access to women’s health products opens several doors for a woman’s education, social mobility, health, and economic opportunities, benefiting her community as a whole. Further research could explore the long-term impacts of social enterprises on menstrual equity, the access to menstrual products and safe menstruating environments, (Darivemula, S. et al., 2023) and deepen the analysis of the intersection between social entrepreneurship and period poverty as more organizations emerge and expand their operations.