Kimberly-Clark’s Kotex, creator of the period care category, is marking International Women’s Day (March 8) by releasing eye-opening data from a study around how women worldwide feel about progress. Kotex uncovered that nearly 60% of women believe that the speed of women’s progress is either stagnant or moving slowly. Half of the women polled indicated that the world is a more uncomfortable place for them than ever before. Furthermore, the study showed that these sentiments are relatively stronger among the younger generation. With this data top of mind, Kotex is launching its #ProgressFeelsLike effort to speak to this serious threat and encourage women around the world to have a voice and share their view of what progress is like in their daily lives and in the world around them.

“In a long history of advancement of women’s rights and equality, today we are reminded that progress isn’t a given,” says Alison Lewis, chief growth officer at Kimberly-Clark. “Now is a crucial time for women everywhere to use their voices to inspire change, and we are pleased to offer a platform to share what #ProgressFeelsLike from their viewpoint. On International Women’s Day and every day, #ProgressFeelsLike unites us and empowers us in our pursuit of progress across every culture and every country in the world. Because period or not, She Can.”

To help show the world what #ProgressFeelsLike, Kotex is debuting a provocative film produced by an all-female Kotex team in partnership with Capital A Creative and Rakish, led by renowned director, Jaci Judelson. The powerful #ProgressFeelsLike film speaks to the data unearthed in Kotex’s study. It depicts the reality around the globe that women face bias related to inequality, their periods and other restrictions, which continue to challenge or hinder progress.

Kotex is encouraging women worldwide to participate in the movement by using #ProgressFeelsLike in social media posts. The period care brand is also organizing on-the-ground activations to ignite conversation and inspire change for women within their communities. Examples include:

• In Turkey, Kotex is increasing its commitment to women’s progress to ensure a more comfortable world where women can express themselves freely and break menstrual taboos. For every tweet using #ProgressFeelsLike in Turkey, the Kotex team will make a matching product donation to non-profit women’s organizations.
• In Brazil, Kotex is launching a digital art festival to visually depict what #ProgressFeelsLike and to celebrate women’s achievements, question the stigmas around menstruation, and show that women haven’t come this far to stop here.
• In the U.S., U by Kotex will donate two period products to Alliance for Period Supplies from the purchase of any U by Kotex product purchased at Walmart during March 2024. U by Kotex will also donate two additional period products to APS for each repost of its social media post for National Women’s Day on March 8, 2024, to drive awareness of period poverty, an issue that impacts one in three low-income women in the U.S.
• In Vietnam, Kotex is launching a music video that calls for consumers to submit entries that speak to what #ProgressFeelsLike when it comes to chasing their dreams. The top three winners will receive a $5,000 scholarship to make their ideas a reality.

As part of the #ProgressFeelsLike movement, Kotex is leading by example and has formed a new partnership with She’s the First, a non-profit organization that fights for a world where every girl can choose her own future. As a part of the partnership with She’s the First, Kotex is standing behind its pledge to progress and donating funds to help support the organization’s mission to make sure girls everywhere are respected, educated and heard. The #ProgressFeelsLike movement and new alliance with She’s the First is an extension of Kotex’s She Can Initiative and existing work with Plan International and WASH United. The three partnerships align with Kotex’s ongoing mission to champion women’s progress by fighting period stigmas and the barriers they cause, by promoting access to education in schools and communities and by helping to open doors so women gain equal opportunity.