3 Takeaways From Our Breakfast With Ruby Raut
Menstrual equity is not solely about convenience; it’s about survival. In the UK, 41% of people who menstruate struggle with period poverty, sometimes having to choose between tampons and their weekly shop.
This month, we have seen a wave of campaigns and collaborations advocating for better menstrual health, including Wellbeing Of Women’s period symptom checker launch, Bayer’s #FightTheFlow campaign and Aldi’s collaboration with Bloody Good Period - the retailer recently announced its ambition to donate 1 million period products and become the first UK supermarket to offer free period care in-store - a major step forward in driving menstrual equity.
But access is only one part of the story. Across the globe, stigma and social taboos still hold menstruators back, and that was the inspiration for Wuka, the UK's first-ever reusable and leak-proof period pants founded by Ruby Raut. Earlier this month Ruby joined us as a special guest at our annual IWD Icebreakers Breakfast, and let’s say conversations flowed (pun intended).
Ruby told us about her childhood in Nepal and the now-illegal practice of Chaupadi, which sees menstruating girls and women banished from their homes, cut off from their families, and left without proper washing facilities. "Periods are hard for girls in Nepal," Ruby shared. "Some women can’t stay at home during their period."
Throughout the morning Ruby spoke to us about her inspirations, challenges and aspirations for Wuka. Here are three takeaways we’ve been thinking about ever since.
1. Menstrual Education is Lacking
It’s 2025, yet menstrual education is still lagging behind. Even here in the UK, with 1 in 10 women suffering from polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and 1.5 million impacted by endometriosis. Despite the stats, many menstruators go years without access to menstrual health information, experience heavy periods without proper diagnoses and spend hundreds of pounds on period products.
For Ruby, awareness is more important than creating products. When asked, “How do you educate people on period underwear?” Ruby responded to say that “It’s not just about selling a product, it’s about changing women’s mindsets.” And she’s spot on.
2. It’s Bigger Than Period Pants
Period pants are here to stay. A recent study found that in 2024, 51% of women aged 18 to 24 and 53% of 25-34 year-olds said they will wear period pants, showing that comfort and sustainability take precedence over traditional tampons and pads. But it’s more than simply swapping products. Ruby’s 2023 collaboration with M&S for the ‘Say Pants to the Tax’ campaign led the UK government to remove VAT on period pants to make period care more accessible for everyone.
However, when the notion of swapping pads and tampons for period pants is floated, it’s often met with fear and hesitation, with many wondering if they’ll leak and whether period pants can handle a heavy flow. But many switchers from pads and tampons never look back, with Ruby citing mothers of teen girls as her earliest adopters - “Nothing between the legs is a freeing moment, that many of us who grew up with pads never thought was possible”, Ruby said, “I get the best feedback from mums of girls.”
The conversation with Ruby made us realise that it’s bigger than ditching pads; it’s about rethinking menstruation entirely. It’s hard to believe that period pants weren’t even a thing in the UK until 2017. Now, millions are sold every year - that’s real impact.
3. That Time Of The Month
Being the founder of an impact-led business is tough, and Ruby shared the realities of securing funding as a woman and how she is often underestimated.
“Many assume I’m just the face of the brand,” Ruby shared. “Investors think women lack commercial acumen, which, of course, isn’t factual.”
Ruby told the room about deals she’s had to walk away from because there wasn’t an adequate representation of women around the boardroom table and shared the challenges of balancing entrepreneurship with life. When asked what the women around the table could do to drive Wuka’s success, she didn’t hold back: "More support is always good - if you have friends or know investors who are interested in hearing more about Wuka, let me know!"
Whether you love or loathe International Women’s Day and this time of the month, there’s one thing we know for sure: being in the room is not enough; what happens once we’re there is what matters.
If the conversations over breakfast were anything to go by, it’s fair to say that our 2025 IWD Icebreakers breakfast sparked fresh thinking, energetic conversations, and talks of collaborations - we can’t wait to see what grows from this space.
