Nearly one in five Canadians who menstruate has experienced period poverty. In terms of the ability to afford menstrual products, one in four menstruators has had to choose between purchasing menstrual products and other basic essentials in the past year and one in five is concerned that they will be in that position within the next year. Fifteen percent of menstruators were held back from participating in daily living due to not being able to afford menstrual products. Period poverty can also be defined as a lack of education and awareness about the realities of menstruation. Nearly half of all Canadians report believing that periods make people less able to control their emotions and make them physically weaker. One in four Canadians believes that periods are dirty and unclean, while one in four young Canadians aged 13–21 does not know why people get periods or how to manage them. This lack of education and awareness can lead to symptoms of period poverty, including shame, fear and stigma. Societal and cultural expectations lead 36% of menstruators to feel the need to hide their period and period products at work or school, with 21% of menstruators feeling the need to do so even at home. Young menstruators aged 13–21 are especially vulnerable to the effects of these negative emotions. A majority reports trying to hide their period from others or lying about having their period, and almost half of young menstruators report experiencing teasing related to menstruation.