Isobel Marshall (born 1998) is a

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

social entrepreneur Social entrepreneurship is an approach by individuals, groups, start-up companies or entrepreneurs, in which they develop, fund and implement solutions to social, cultural, or environmental issues. This concept may be applied to a wide range of o ...

and medical student who was named

Young Australian of the Year The Australian of the Year is a national award conferred on an Australian citizen by the National Australia Day Council, a not-for-profit Australian Governmentowned social enterprise. Similar awards are also conferred at the State and Territo ...

for 2021.

Early life

Marshall is from

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

's inner southern suburbs. She attended

Walford Anglican School for Girls , motto_translation = Courage and Truth , established = 1893 , type = Independent, single-sex, day & boarding , denomination = Anglican , slogan = , principal ...

and is studying a

MBBS Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery ( la, Medicinae Baccalaureus, Baccalaureus Chirurgiae; abbreviated most commonly MBBS), is the primary medical degree awarded by medical schools in countries that follow the tradition of the United King ...

at the

University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide (informally Adelaide University) is a public research university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. The university's main campus is located on N ...

Notable work

Marshall was 18 years old when she and Eloise Hall founded TABOO in 2017, a social enterprise to help women fight the stigma of

menstruation Menstruation (also known as a period, among other colloquial terms) is the regular discharge of blood and mucosal tissue from the inner lining of the uterus through the vagina. The menstrual cycle is characterized by the rise and fall of hor ...

, motivated by a trip to

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

where she saw young girls who had dropped out of education due to menstruation. They

crowdfunded Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project or venture by raising money from a large number of people, typically via the internet. Crowdfunding is a form of crowdsourcing and alternative finance. In 2015, over was raised worldwide by crow ...

$56,000, launching a range of ethical and organic

menstrual hygiene products Feminine hygiene products are personal care products used during menstruation, vaginal discharge, and other bodily functions related to the vulva and vagina. Products that are used during menstruation may also be called menstrual hygiene produ ...

in 2019, with all profits going to African charity One Girl. They also partner with

St Vincent de Paul Vincent de Paul, CM (24 April 1581 – 27 September 1660), commonly known as Saint Vincent de Paul, was a Occitan French Catholic priest who dedicated himself to serving the poor. In 1622 Vincent was appointed a chaplain to the galleys. Afte ...

Women's Crisis Centre to provide free pads and tampons to women in emergency accommodation in South Australia and with the

Ngaanyatjarra, Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara Women's Council The Ngaanyatjarra, Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara Women's Council (NPY Women's Council, NPYWC) is a community-based community organisation formed in 1980 delivering services to the Ngaanyatjarra, Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara women in t ...

. Marshall and Hall direct and manage the company, as well as visiting schools to educate students about the cause.

Award

Marshall was named

on 25 January 2021, alongside three other women: Australian of the Year

Grace Tame Grace Tame (born 28 December 1994) is an Australian activist and advocate for survivors of sexual assault. Tame was named 2021 Australian of the Year on 25 January 2021. Early life, family and education Grace Tame was born in Hobart in about ...

, Senior Australian of the Year

Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr-Baumann Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr-Baumann AM (born 1950) is an Australian Aboriginal activist, educator and artist of the Ngan’gityemerri language group. Ungunmerr-Baumann is the first Indigenous teacher to work in the Northern Territory. and the own ...

, and Local Hero Rosemary Kariuki. In her speech upon receiving the award, Marshall said "Periods should not be a barrier to education. They should not cause shame ... Let's all commit to fighting

period poverty Menstrual hygiene management (MHM) or menstrual health and hygiene (MHH) refers to access to menstrual hygiene products to absorb or collect the flow of blood during menstruation, privacy to change the materials, and access to facilities to disp ...

around the world."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marshall, Isobel Living people 1998 births People from Adelaide University of Adelaide Medical School alumni Social entrepreneurs 21st-century Australian businesspeople Australian women's rights activists Australian of the Year Award winners