A recent study in the Journal of Global Health found that only 16.2% of Pakistani women in rural regions use menstrual pads — an understandable figure, given that pads are taxed as luxury goods.
The country’s “period tax” is so high that it can add as much as 40% to the retail price of period products.
“It is disheartening that despite women serving as ministers, lawmakers and public representatives, gender-blind policies continue to pass without question,” Mahnoor Omer, a 25-year-old lawyer from Rawalpindi, told The Guardian. “Whether it’s an omission or a deliberate act, such laws must be amended.”
That’s when Omer took the government to court over discriminatory taxation. Her legal effort is backed by Mahwari Justice, a student-led organization that provides menstrual health products to young girls in remote communities in Pakistan.
Without access to the right health products, Mahwari Justice estimates that 1 in 5 girls miss school during menstruation. That amounts to an entire academic year lost over the course of their adolescence.
In September 2025, the high court advanced Omer’s case, marking a crucial milestone for the trial.
“The Court has formally recognized that the petition raises serious constitutional issues about women’s rights, equality, and dignity,” Omer said. “For too long, this topic has been taboo and stigmatised, ignored to the point of nonexistence. The problem isn’t the periods themselves, but rather the silence about them.”
A version of this article originally appeared in the 2026 Feminist Edition of the Goodnewspaper.
Header image via Kaboom Pics
