How does Providing Free Menstrual Products in Schools Affect Test Scores: Evidence from New York

Abstract

Women endure the financial burden of menstrual products throughout their lifetime. In the absence of government support for these necessities, there are significant adverse effects on those unable to afford them. Due to the inaccessibility of menstrual products, adolescent females from low-income households may be absent more often, which can impede their academic growth. In this paper, I investigate the effect of providing free menstrual products on the test scores of female students. On July 1, 2018, New York State mandated free provision of feminine hygiene products in restrooms of all public schools serving grades 6 to 12. Using school-level administrative data for the period 2015 to 2019, I employ a triple difference framework to compare test scores of boys and girls in elementary versus middle grades of New York. I find an increase of 0.04 standard deviations in test scores of female middle school students post-intervention. Although, not statistically different compared to high-income students, I find larger effects (0.06 standard deviations) in schools that serve high share of low-income students. These findings add to the limited literature on the effects of access to menstrual products in developed countries.

Keywords: Menstrual products, Test scores