Women, single parents, young people and renters are among those hardest hit by hygiene poverty in Australia, with new research revealing more than 5.5 million people are skipping buying personal hygiene or cleaning products to afford basics like food and rent.
Currently, 20 per cent of Australians are living in hygiene poverty, meaning they are forced to go without everyday essentials like soap, toothpaste, shampoo, deodorant, nappies, period products and household cleaning items.
More than one in three Australians have experienced hygiene poverty at some point in their life, according to the Good360 report released on Thursday.
Single parents are struggling to afford these products more than any other group, with more than one in three (37 per cent) reporting they go without hygiene products to ensure their children have them. In Australia, we know the majority of single-parent housholds are headed up by women.
Meanwhile, women across the board are consistently more impacted by hygiene poverty than men, with almost one in four (23 per cent) women saying they have skipped buying hygiene products, compared to 16 per cent of men.
Women are nearly twice as likely to have delayed a doctor or dental appointment, while one in 10 women have gone without period products due to the cost.
“The findings of this research are deeply concerning,” Alison Covington AM, Founder and Managing Director of Good360 Australia, said.
“Hygiene poverty is no longer a problem at the margins, it cuts across our communities, impacting millions of Australians who are being forced to skip basic hygiene products to afford food, rent, housing and petrol.
“It is not only Australians on the lowest incomes that are affected. Our research shows hygiene poverty now reaches full time workers and all types of families, extending well into middle income Australia.”
Some other key findings from the report include:
- One in three young people have recently skipped buying hygiene essentials, and 54% have experienced hygiene poverty before, double the national rate.
- 28% of renters have skipped buying hygiene essentials, and 56% are worried about affording them in the next 12 months.
- First Nations Australians, culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) people, and people with disability are all more likely to be experiencing hygiene poverty.
- Victorians and Western Australians are hardest hit by hygiene poverty.
Among people who have grappled with being unable to afford hygiene products, one in three say they have avoided social situations because of it, or have felt ashamed or embarrassed. Avoiding the doctor or going to work is also common.
“The impacts are serious and often hidden, with major implications for personal health and wellbeing, as well as for our society and economy,” Covington said.
“People are withdrawing from social life, delaying medical appointments, even avoiding work or job interviews. No one in a country like Australia should have to make these choices. Everyone deserves to live with dignity, and that starts with the basics.”
The research also makes clear that Australians want the government and/or business to step up to help reduce hygiene poverty. For example, 61 per cent of people want GST removed from essential hygiene products, while 48 per cent want businesses to donate surplus hygiene products rather than dispose of them.
Feature image: Alison Covington AM, Founder and Managing Director of Good360 Australia.