Should England follow Scotland and make all period products free?

[stumbledin]

I must admit I didn't know that Scotland had done this. Not sure if it is just a vote taken but not yet implemented. It was mentioned in a newspaper article:

... doing away with the tampon tax had made a particular difference to reusable products which are pricier to begin with.

But Ms Coryton voiced surprise that England had not followed the lead of Scotland, which became the world’s first country to make period products free for everyone last November after a lengthy campaign.

“It is crazy we haven’t,” she reflects. “I think we will because Scotland does everything first. It is crazy not to. This scheme helps people in period poverty, helps to end period stigma, and helps to stop people get health complications, as a result of being forced to use tissues and socks.”

Research by charity Plan International found three in 10 girls in the UK have struggled to afford or access period products during the Covid-19 public health emergency – with over half of them having to resort to toilet paper instead of proper products. One in five said their periods have been more difficult to cope with due to not having enough toilet roll.

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/tampon-tax-period-products-b1867922.html

This seems to be the Plan UK research plan-uk.org/media-centre/over-one-million-girls-in-the-uk-struggled-to-afford-or-access-period-products-during-the-pandemic

There's no will to tackle poverty, so this is the next best thing. I would worry that the free ones will be cheap rubbish, or there wont be enough choice.

Who will pay for it though, ultimately? The govt is amassing debt on a gigantic scale.

I think that if a million girls struggled to access these products during the pandemic, our problems are pretty much insurmountable and some free products will be a drop in the ocean. A million is absolutely astonishing and indicates that our society is totally and utterly broken.

I would support a system where 90% of people pay for stuff and the poorest 10% don’t. However a million girls is far more than 10% and therefore unaffordable to whoever is paying.

I don’t know the solution. It’s far from easy.

@Thelnebriati

There's no will to tackle poverty, so this is the next best thing. I would worry that the free ones will be cheap rubbish, or there wont be enough choice.

This is exactly what I wondered. I can only use a particular type as my skin gets irritated by a lot of them.

Who will pay for it though, ultimately? The govt is amassing debt on a gigantic scale.

The gov have shown they can make money available whenever they want, though.

I'm not sure how anyone can even ask the 'who will pay for it' question when the same gov scrapped stamp duty during the same period, which ultimately did nothing except drive already inflated house prices even higher.

Does anyone want to live in a world where the government subsidises the property market but not women who can't access sanitary products?

AFAIK it's just available in places like schools, libraries (poss workplaces in future) etc for you to take if you need it. If you don't need it, you go to the shop like you've always done.

I can't speak for the quality having never used it, but I know someone mentioned there's mooncups etc available which could be an option for people who can't use certain brands of tampons.

Ultimately I think it's better than doing nothing at all. The amount of times I've been caught out, struggled to find a £1 coin for a machine, found the £1 but the stupid machine was empty and swallowed the money anyway, and had to resort to the horrible toilet roll trick

That never happened when I worked in a place where we had a communal stash in the ladies room and we all just replenished whenever we were at the shops. Tampons, pads, deodorant, nicer hand-soap etc. If a business is paying for toilet roll and hand soap, why not feminine hygiene products?

Sanitary products are available on hospital wards too . Also a basket of shampoos and soaps , where you can donate any products you don't need before you leave . Lots of us have ended up in hospital with nothing but the clothes on our backs . Having this stuff freely available on wards is a godsend and folks are really generous . This is in Scotland by the way .

I didn't get that on the ward! The letter said bring post natal pads as they are not available.

Schools would be good- but I think most have somewhere you can get one if you need already. My DDs primary and secondary did.

Hotels should include it in their kit, if they're the sort that puts shoe shiner, nail file and shower cap in room.

Frankly I'd rather they made prescriptions free like Scotland.

In the end we are very different countries with very different ideas about what is important.

So imo it's, sorry. A fairly pointless question

The intention in Scotland is not that no women now pay for protection. It puts a statutory obligation on councils to make it available for free if needed. So all schools, council offices, libraries etc. It may not be top of the range brands or a choice of brands but it will do the job.

How would you stop people just selling the free stuff online?

I’m not sure how much you’re going to get for a couple of tampons and a sanitary towel tbh, or indeed a mooncup or equivalent.

@TheoMeo

How would you stop people just selling the free stuff online?

who would buy it if it's freely available ?

Period poverty is just poverty though. This is a distraction from the real issue. Of course sanpro should be free in schools and hospitals. But should we also make loo paper, toothpaste, soap free? Give kids a toothbrush every couple of months? (I think this would be a great idea). I’m very cynical about ‘period poverty’ campaigns, I worry that it’s virtue signaling and gets more attention than other things largely because it’s a catchy phrase. ‘Dental hygiene poverty’ doesn’t have the same ring.

who would buy it if it's freely available ?

Anyone anywhere in the world.

Period poverty is just poverty though.

Indeed and this is yet another example of woke window dressing by the Scottish Government. Much easier to provide free san pro than recognise the utter scandal of a wealthy society where there’s a population who can’t afford basic supples, never mind actually do anything to change that.

There’s no bandwagon they won’t jump on.

@TheoMeo

who would buy it if it's freely available ?

Anyone anywhere in the world.

Blimey cost more to post it than they would get for it

Period poverty is just poverty though. This is a distraction from the real issue

Exactly this.

Give kids a toothbrush every couple of months? (I think this would be a great idea). I’m very cynical about ‘period poverty’ campaigns, I worry that it’s virtue signaling and gets more attention than other things largely because it’s a catchy phrase. ‘Dental hygiene poverty’ doesn’t have the same ring.

I dunno if this is a Scotland thing or just a deprived part of Scotland thing, but my kids do come home with toothbrushes and toothpaste every few months. They're not on FSM or anything.

I honestly don't see how it's window dressing or a catchy phrase. It's completely different from other types of poverty.

If I can't afford toothbrushes / toothpaste / soap for my daughters, of course it's horrendous and will no doubt lead to health issues down the line. But if I can't afford sanitary protection for them...? A) it's a specific type of poverty that only affects women and girls B) evidence shows they miss school.

How many kids miss school because they can't brush their teeth that morning? Even if I couldn't afford it at home, they brush them in school anyway. So they're at least getting brushed once a day.

Honestly I find it a little sad (and dare I say, privileged) that some find it a 'catchy phrase' or 'jumping on a bandwagon'.

I didn't vote for the SNP, think their record in education is a joke, but this is something they've got right IMO.

I support free feminine products to those who need them 100X more than I support free prescriptions FOR ALL (because a large proportion of the country can afford them).

Much easier to provide free san pro than recognise the utter scandal of a wealthy society where there’s a population who can’t afford basic supples, never mind actually do anything to change that.

They seem to be doing both though? LONG OVERDUE imo because as far as I understand it, they've had these powers since... 2018? I think?

But I remember reading up on it because I was going to apply for DLA for my youngest and found out it was all switching over to a Scottish system.

Covid winter / spring hardship payment, family pandemic payment, scottish child payment, carers allowance supplement etc.

Is it going to fix it? Doubt it. But at least they seem to be attempting to do something now.

I dunno if this is a Scotland thing or just a deprived part of Scotland thing, but my kids do come home with toothbrushes and toothpaste every few months. They're not on FSM or anything.

The Childsmile programme is well established in Scotland in a bit to improve oral health for children, poor dental health can be an indicator of neglect and the programme forms part of a process of early intervention both in terms of ensuring families have the means to care for teeth and also to highlight and catch problems early.

Period poverty is a particular kind of poverty and uniquely impacts women and girls, however it’s a sticking plaster over a gaping wound which the SG have done little to address in all their time in office. It gets headlines and looks great, but functionally changes very little.

But I remember reading up on it because I was going to apply for DLA for my youngest and found out it was all switching over to a Scottish system

Thanks for this, I didn’t realise they were changing the benefits system here either - some interesting reading.

@TheoMeo

How would you stop people just selling the free stuff online?

Do people help themselves to free toilet rolls and sell them? Do people take empty plastic bottles into toilets and fill them with soap from dispensers and sell them?

My impression here in Scotland is that free san pro is provided in the same way that toilet paper is. San pro is free in the two universities I have worked in. I'm post-menopause so haven't ever used them, but the baskets (in one) and the drawers (in the other) are always well stocked and I've never had the impression that women were taking more than they immediately need, except possibly taking extra for the weekend on a Friday. Both universities provide a choice of pads / applicator tampons / non-applicator tampons.

I think it is ridiculous that girls are supposedly missing school because they can’t afford environmentally damaging disposable period products.
My mother was born in the first world war, when none of her contemporaries could afford commercial sanpro.
They simply used rags and washed them out in a tub.
We need to tackle poverty in general, not encourage the free use of yet more plastic backed waste, as virtue signaling window dressing.

I’m supportive of San pro available for free in schools.

Less so about ‘free san pro for all’. Why san pro and not toothpaste, hair brush, toilet roll, soap, nappies, food…