Individuals who menstruate spend an average 2,535 days of their lives — or six years — menstruating. Access to sanitary products is then indispensable to anyone who menstruates, but globally, not everyone can afford hygienic period products.
For those who live below the poverty line, making the choice between purchasing a pad or buying food comes down to the latter. In the United States, it is estimated that, to a woman, her period will cost her over $10,000 during her lifetime. Menstruating then affects individuals’ entire lives, often impeding education, job security, and imposing health risks. This socioeconomic crisis of affordability is called “period poverty.”
This past Tuesday, Scotland became the first country in the world to take a defining step in battling this public health crisis, making period products, such as pads, tampons, and liners, available for free to any person in need of one. The legislation, “The Period Products (Free Provision) (Scotland) Bill,” passed unanimously.
The costs for this transition has come down to an estimated 24 million pounds a year— about $32 million. Scotland’s First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, celebrated the passing of this bill.
“Proud to vote for this groundbreaking legislation, making Scotland the first country in the world to provide free period products for all who need them. An important policy for women and girls. Well done to [Monica Lennon, Aileen Campbell,] and all who worked to make it happen,” she wrote on Twitter shortly after the bill passed.
The bill requires that local authorities ensure that all sanitary products one could need remain easily attainable and without charge. This is a monumental change, as one in 10 girls in the United Kingdom have been unable to afford period products, according to a 2017 survey from Plan International UK.
The bill was drafted in February, and has now officially been passed. With COVID-19 still being taken into consideration, Scotish government has proclaimed that every person who needed such products would have a wide variety to choose from, and people would be able to have their products delivered to their doorstep.
Monica Lennon introduced and continuously fought for this legislation, having said after the vote that this groundbreaking decision was “a signal to the world that free universal access to period products can be achieved.”
On the parliament floor, topics that aren’t usually discussed were brought up— double standards in the bathroom, certain conditions that caused heavy bleeding during one’s period, and so on. This conversation was led by both men and women, with a wide wave of support coming together, making the bill pass unanimously.
Many are hoping to see a ripple effect in the rest of the UK, similarly to what happened with providing free access to these same sanitary products in schools. So far, those following in Scotland’s trail are England, Wales, and New Zealand, though no bill similar to Scotland’s has been introduced.
The battle against period poverty continues.
