Earlier this week, Scotland became the first country in the world to announce free and universal access of sanitary products in public facilities. However, with 1 in 10 girls and women affected by Period Poverty, the issue remains.
Period Poverty can be defined as the “lack of access to sanitary products due to financial constraints” (Royal College of Nursing website). With sanitary products costing on average £10 a month, and a staggering £5,000 in a lifetime, it is not hard to see why this is still such a pressing issue in modern society. Furthermore, sanitary products are considered luxury goods and thus bound by the ‘Tampon Tax’ – the name given to the 5% tax on all sanitary products (such as pads, tampons, and liners). Due to rules in the European Union, this tax could not be abolished. So, recently, the government began donating this tax money to charities and women’s organisations. Now, after Brexit, the government will be able to take the necessary decisions regarding the tax.
Individual retailers have also been trying to do their part to end Period Poverty. For example, in 2017, Tesco reduced the prices of their sanitary products to cover the cost of the tax themselves. Despite these advances, many girls and women are still unable to afford the needed products, and almost 50% of girls have missed at least a day of school because of their period. This issue is prevalent now more than ever due to the Coronavirus pandemic and subsequent job losses, and charities are having to provide 6 times more products now than earlier this year.
In these circumstances, campaigns to end Period Poverty, such as the one in Scotland, are even more important. The campaign is led by MSP Monica Lennon, a Member of Scottish Parliament since 2016 and the Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport. It started four years ago and has received lots of grassroots support. In 2018, the Scottish government allocated £5.2 million of funding for schools, colleges, and universities to make sanitary products freely accessible. The Period Products (Free Provision) (Scotland) Bill, first introduced in April 2019, was voted for unanimously by MPs on Tuesday, requiring provisions “for free period products for anyone who needs them” (The Scottish Parliament website). This will need to be operational by two years after the legislation is passed (and is predicted to cost £8.7 million annually), although individual businesses in Scotland, such as bars and restaurants, have already begun to implement these changes individually.
Such efforts have also been made in other countries. For example, the Welsh government announced similar schemes last year, as did the NHS. Furthermore, in January 2020, free sanitary products were made available in all primary and secondary schools in England. As well as helping to end period poverty, these initiatives also combat the deep-rooted stigma surrounding periods. Mass movements and legal developments help to raise awareness too, a vital element in the fight to end period poverty.
