Why Feminine Hygiene Products Should Be Free

Firstly, it’s a human right that every woman has access to provide free menstrual products. It’s not a woman’s choice to bleed once a month since it’s something we can’t control. Did you know how expensive period supplies are? Women spend on average around £10 per month. The tampon tax is responsible for it. For example, in Sweden, the tampon tax is around 25 per cent because they class period supplies as luxury items. Women must provide period supplies once a month because it’s a necessity, not a luxury. Furthermore, many low-income women can’t afford menstrual products since they are very pricey. We shouldn't need to pay money for something we haven’t chosen to have. Therefore, it’s a constitutional right for women to provide free hygiene products because we can’t bleed through our clothes. We have the right to have good hygiene so we don’t get any infections. 

Secondly, free menstrual products will make more women go to school. Thousands of girls have missed schooling since they couldn’t afford period supplies to manage good hygiene. Would you want to go to school without any menstrual protection and bleed through while people are staring at you? No, I wouldn’t think so. It’s not fair that female students should miss their education for something that is normal to have. Many reports show that students have used the toilet paper since they couldn’t afford it, which risks getting different infections such as urinary infection. However, some countries like England and New Zealand are offering free menstrual products to all students in school. Evidence shows this reduces stress since students don't need to worry about how to get their supplies. Furthermore, it has a positive effect on the child's wellness and increases school attendance since students can focus better in school by having the right requirements. 

Many people argue that having free menstrual products is a drastic change that isn’t something we should prioritize since there are other things we should worry about instead, for example the climate change. I can partly agree with this since there are different topics that are urgent and need to be addressed so we can live in a good world, like the climate changes in the world that is a threat for earth and our lives. However, we need to make changes in the world if we want to live in a world where everyone gets their rights they should have. Half of the world are women and periods are a big part of our life. It’s not a woman’s fault that her body works the way it does, and no one should live in period poverty and feel ashamed because you can’t afford it.