◼ POLITICS Bloomberg Businessweek December 7, 2020
Theaim,Lennonsays,is toeradicate“period
poverty”—thecostoftheproductscanbeprohibi-
tive—andendthestigmaaroundmenstruation.
UnderthePeriodProducts(FreeProvision)
(Scotland)Act,approvedunanimouslyinthe
ScottishParliament,localgovernmentswillbe
requiredtomakefreesuppliesavailableinpub-
licbuildingstoanyonewhowantsthem.(Schools,
colleges,anduniversitiesinScotlandhaveoffered
freeproductssince 2018,andthe legislation
compelsthemtokeepdoingso.)TheScottish
governmentestimatesthatabout13%ofpeople
whohaveperiodswilltakepartintheprogram
initsfirstyear.Thatwouldputcosts,whichit will
cover,atabout£8.7million($11.7million)for2022-
23.Fullimplementationoftheprogramwilltake
twoyears.
Limitedaccesstosanitaryproductsis a problem
oftenassociatedwithpoorercountries,butwomen
inwealthiernationsalsostruggletobuythem.A
surveyofmorethan1,000womeninScotland,
whichhelpedgalvanizesupportforthebill,found
thata fifthhadexperiencedperiodpovertyatsome
pointintheirlives.Onein 10 saidtheyhadpriori-
tizedbuyingfoodoverperiodsupplies.
Globally, menstrual products are also often
taxed at higher rates than other essentials. The
2020 tax rate on sanitary products was 27% in
Hungary, 25% in Sweden, and 16% in Mexico. In the
U.S., 30 states levy a sales tax on tampons and pads,
according to the advocacy group Period Equity, and
they can’t be purchased with food stamps.
A handful of countries have scrapped the tax.
The first was Kenya in 2004, and others that followed
include Australia, Canada, Ireland, and, beginning in
January, the U.K., where “the tampon tax” became
so controversial that major supermarkets started
covering the cost of it themselves in 2017.The women surveyed in the Scottish report
said they felt isolated and ashamed by their inabil-
ity to afford sanitary products, and some said
they missed work, school, or social events as a
result. The country’s new legislation comes after
20 yearsofeffortsbyactivistsacrosstheglobeto
chipawayatthetaboothat’ssurroundedmenstru-
ationforcenturies.
“Scotland has provided a blueprint and shown
how it can be done,” Lennon says. “With determi-
nation from lawmakers and activists in other coun-
tries, there’s no reason why other countries can’t
follow.”�CarolineAlexander39THE BOTTOM LINE A new law requires public facilities to provide
free tampons and pads in an aim to reduce “period poverty” among
low-income women and to destigmatize menstruation.▲ Activists rallying
outside the Scottish
Parliament in Edinburgh