“Where's the pad”? Meaning effects in the discourse on menstrual poverty in an article in Folha de S. Paulo

Abstract

Poverty is a complex phenomenon that affects millions of people around the world. In Brazil, menstrual poverty is an aspect of this condition, evidenced by newspapers and dividing opinions. It is the lack of access to products, services, and other social goods, such as: pads, information, basic sanitation. The study aimed to contribute to the discussion on the issue of menstrual poverty and social policies in the context of neoliberalism. We used a clipping of an article published in Folha de S. Paulo. Based on the theoretical-analytical Analysis of Discourse inaugurated by Pêcheux, we demonstrate that, when it comes to menstrual poverty, there is a long way to go in women's struggle to achieve social rights in the neoliberal context. This problem shows how much the State, in a recent governmental administration, is absent from serving the interests of the working class, silencing the causes of menstrual poverty.