Sanitary products in library

[dogsdinnerlady]

On the back of the loo door in my library this morning is a poster offering free sanitary products for anyone who needs them. Just ask at the desk, it says. Really? Who is going to do that? I see schools are going to provide free pads and tampons for all pupils soon. With libraries closing to save money and schools having to ask parents to pay for books, it seems the budget can accommodate free sanitary products for millions of women.
I am probably in the minority in thinking this is taking the welfare state too far.

Taking the welfare state too far.

Well. I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you’re simply ignorant rather than knowingly begrudging of basic hygiene items for those living in poverty.
Yabu. Please find out more about it.

*bears repeating

sounds good to me a lot of libraries have free computer use which again is used by homeless people so makes sense they can have sanpro if they need it at same time. libraries these days do more than just books; they have as i said computers various clubs to join ours has the CAB too once a week and is a general information centre

Our library's and schools have it. It's all donations from the public.

Our local church centre has them out in a basket in the toilets, I don’t take them but I do put in. It’s probably the same sort of thing!

I sometimes work with ladies who have genuine period poverty so yes, YABU. But I can’t really blast you because before I started this job I had no idea that it existed either.

Just leaving this here:
www.redboxproject.org

I was gobsmacked to learn last week that men are given free razors as a matter of course in hospital,but women are charged for sanitary protection.

I wonder what my mother’s generation would have made of the term “period poverty”.
My mother lived in abject squalor without even a flush toilet, and four of her siblings died of diphtheria in infancy. No way could she afford commercial pads ( tampons weren’t invented) - but she and her friends used home made pads of rags, which they washed out in cold water and re-used.

Modern women must be rather lacking in initiative if they think expensive commercial products are the only option.
Environmentally, either reusables or mooncups are better choices anyway, and much cheaper in the long term.

Just had a thought,maybe the OP is actually male? That might go someway to explaining their unreasonable attitude......

If you’re homeless how do you wash anything? Let alone sanitary protection?

I think it's fair to say that women in poverty are indeed often lacking in initiative - not because of anything inherent in them, but because poverty is just that grinding.

The answer to that is not to berate them for it, but to meet them where they are and help with the poverty in whatever way they will accept.

You must be either blindingly ignorant or have had a compassion bypass to blame the women.

Babdoc you're presuming people have the money to buy reusable sanitary protection or the facilities to wash it.

Are you really saying that because women in the past didnt have the luxury of sanitary protection those that struggle to afford it now have nothing to complain about?

Many libraries have evolved and are now more of a multi purpose community space rather than just a place with books and a sign that says "shhhh". If anywhere is going to have facilities for schemes like this then a library is one of the best places.

Babdoc are you saying that people who can't afford sanitary protection should use old rags washed in cold water?

Who on earth begrudges a woman in need a sodding tampon? Even with schools the vast majority of girls will continue to purchase their preferred products, but it’s brilliant that there will be products available for those in need, or who simply have an emergency.

Back when I was at school they didn’t have dispensers in the loos, the only way to get a pad was to buy one from the school nurse. No money - tough shit.

Environmentally, either reusables or mooncups are better choices anyway, and much cheaper in the long term

And there in a nutshell is the complete lack of understanding - people who are poor cannot afford to make the 'more economical in the long term' choices because to make those choices you have to have a greater amount of money at a given time to invest in those products. This is how poverty works - you end up having to spend more or going without because you can;t afford those things tahtw ould be cheaper per item in the long run as long as you can shell out £20 at one time instead of only having 50p.

Hopefully we have come a bit further than years ago when your Mother lived in poverty - are you seriously advocating that women in poverty should put up, shut up, and wash their period rags?
Good for your Mum for dealing with the situation as best she could - but why on earth that would make you wish the same on anyone else, I cannot for the life of me fathom.

I’m pretty sure that even the OP would rather free sanitary goods were provided rather than have desperate women and girls washing their period rags in the self same library toilet.
Or maybe not?

OP - YABVU and also mean. Have a word with yourself.

Love it when the "environmentalists" come out on these threads and demonstrate their privilege. Last time I checked if you're homeless and say living in a tent on a street, chances are you don't have much access to clean or hot water or a washing machine to wash your reusuables or thoroughly clean your cups.

Apologies if this had already been mentioned but I am the coordinator in my area for The Red Box Project.
Through the generosity of the public we are able to put boxes of sanitary products and spare pants and tights in all the secondary and primary schools in our town.
Young women missing school because they cannot afford or access sanitary products is a real problem all over the country.
Good for the library for providing supplies for whoever needs them, be it a young person, an older lady or whatever.
Everyone deserves to be treated with dignity

It’s only a good thing. I’d rather a struggling girl or woman caught short helped herself to a tampax at a library rather than bled all over herself and deal with the shame of that.

@dogsdinnerlady if it’s not funded by the state (it’s isn’t by the way) do you still object.

Environmentally, either reusables or mooncups are better choices anyway, and much cheaper in the long term

Not sure how that works if you live on a park bench

Environmentally, either reusables or mooncups are better choices anyway, and much cheaper in the long term.

Hard to spend upwards of £20 on a cup or set of reusable pads if you haven't got £20 apparently begin with. For reusable pads there's water, cleaning products, a means to dry them, time to wash and dry them, and so on. For a cup, it takes a while to get to grips with inserting/removing it properly and trusting it not to leak, not everyone can use them or indeed wants to use them.

I do understand what poverty means. As a CAB advisor some years ago I regularly had to point out to clients that a £30 a month subscription for a phone or satellite TV had to be come second to paying the rent or feeding their kids. A free tampon in an emergency is one thing, I am questioning the unrestricted provision of SanPro for all women regardless of income or circumstances. Bit like the free TV licence idea for all pensioners, regardless of income.

Do you think access to SanPro is comparable to a £30 a month phone subscription or satellite TV?