Fighting period poverty: Scotland now offers free menstrual products

A monthly supply of period products means significant costs. In an effort to fight what is also known as “period poverty” – with people struggling to afford products from tampons to sanitary pads – Scotland is now offering free menstrual products in all public buildings.

Thanks to the Period Products Act, which came into force on Monday, councils and education providers are required to make menstrual products available to anyone who needs them.

Scottish Labour lawmaker Monica Lennon, who originally proposed the legislation back in 2020, said: “As the cost-of-living crisis takes hold, the Period Products Act is a beacon of hope which shows what can be achieved when politicians come together for the good of the people we serve.”

Scotland, which says it is the first country worldwide to introduce such a law, has spent some £27 million ($32.6 million) on providing free period products in public buildings since 2017.

Schools have already been required to make them available since last year.

“We are proud to be the first national government in the world to take such action,” said Social Justice Secretary Shona Robison.

Period poverty is an issue in many countries worldwide. According to a 2017 survey by the Plan International aid organization, 10% of girls and young women in Britain aged between 14 and 21 couldn’t afford period products, and 15% were struggling to pay for them.