Our Research

From 2017-2018, Strength India went door-to-door and talked to
2,640 women
about problems they face during their periods.
What we learned was fascinating.

Women Like Pads

Pads were far and away the most demanded menstrual hygiene product on the market, far outstripping tampons. Further, although nearly 100% of the women we spoke to were aware of the existence of sanitary napkins, less than 10% had heard of reusable products like cups or period panties--and most were repulsed by the concept after it was explained.

Women Use Pads

In direct conflict with some widely popularized statistics, our data indicated that between 70% and 85% of women in India use pads on a regular basis. This controversial result is one we anticipated and one we stand by; although we are a small and independent organization, our sample size is nearly 10 times of that which forms the foundation of far more prestigious research efforts.

Pads Aren't Good Enough

The main reason women don't buy pads? Simple economics: the product doesn't fully meet the need, and therefore often fails to justify the expenditure. Between poor quality, high price points, and insufficient numbers and sizes of pieces in retail packages of sanitary napkins, it's no wonder women don't line up to buy pads every month (even before consideration of social stigma associated with menstruation).

See what we're doing about it