Period Poverty

[TheDevil]

Every school and college can now get free period products

Movements for women's sanitary.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51167487

[webbo3]

you cant compare the two.^

[Ellipsis]

I just did.

[webbo3]

the two are completely different, and are available both sexes, perhaps everything should be free.

[Ellipsis]

You're saying that if men had periods then it would be OK for period products to be free ... but as men are free of that particular curse, women should be made to pay for the privilege of bearing it.

[webbo3]

not at all, the parents should provide this out of a thing called child benefit, if they dont thats neglect.

they should be available in schools for emergencies.

How do they cope out of school and when on holiday in a foreign country.

[TheDevil]

I don’t think Tampons should be the norm, i think pads are more appropriate especial for the primary school situations

[TheDevil]

That doesn’t sound as I mean it... of course there should be an option but just because tampons are 80p i wonder how much the cheapest basic pads are? I’ve not looked but I know a lot of women who don’t like tampons, and i know women who don’t like pads it is preference. There needs to be option.

[Mamyalynne]

From the results of the Scottish model, pads were approx 75% of the take up.

[granny grump]

I'm one of four girls and dad was unemployed for some time after coming out of the army in the 50s Mum didn't work but we never missed school - we made and laundered our own :-( I'm not suggesting we go back to those days but missing school was never an option

[Mamyalynne]

Reusable washable pads have made a resurgence which is of course money saving in the long term as well as better for the environment.

[Deskdiary]

"I just did." [compare freebie sanitary products with public loo toilet paper]

You did indeed - still a poor comparison though.

[New Judge]

//How do they cope out of school and when on holiday in a foreign country.//

Strangely, webbo, I remember last summer there being discontent as, it was said, many children were going hungry because the free school meals they usually enjoy were not available in the holidays:

https://feedingbritain.org/donations/holiday-hunger/

The article suggests 3m children might be going hungry. I estimate there are about (very roughly) 7m children of school age. If the article is to be believed, almost half of them go hungry during the school holidays. That, in itself, is a ludicrous claim. But on a wider note this is getting bleeding ridiculous. Schools exist to educate children. Some may be able to provide lunch (at the going rate) for those needing it (if they can't parents must ensure they can be fed by other means). But that should be it. Instead they are increasingly being seen as "in loco parentis" for almost everything the child needs and this is just the latest move in that direction. Parents are responsible for feeding, clothing, housing and caring for their children. That includes providing life's necessities - such as the items under discussion here - for them. A few may not be able to because they are stupid, inept or feckless in one way or another but this sledgehammer to crack that nut is simply laughable.

[New Judge]

"I just did." [compare freebie sanitary products with public loo toilet paper]

Indeed you did. And a more inappropriate comparison would be hard to find.

[divegirl]

38 years ago when I started my periods I was the daughter of a single parent dad. I was lucky in that all I had to do was ask for the money and my dad provided it [he worked full time].
Let's just say he had been an abusive parent. Where should I have gone for my needs?
I can imagine life can be even harder for our young people now :(

[Ellipsis]

> And a more inappropriate comparison would be hard to find.

No it wouldn't.

There, an argument as well reasoned as yours.

[Togo]

Build the playing field........they will come.

[New Judge]

//Let's just say he had been an abusive parent. Where should I have gone for my needs?//

To a female relative, an aunt, or grandmother, perhaps? Or an older female friend? A sad problem that would have been, no doubt. But, back to my sledgehammer and nut analogy, should we provide a universal benefit to address a problem that is probably quite scarce? Some people go hungry. Should we provide free food for everyone to address that?

[Togo]

I warrant that if some enterprising wannabe charity was to set up a bras and knickers bank, for women who have none, that the statistics wonks would inform us that it is a national disgrace that 58% of women are using such a facility.......and 10% of men.

[albaqwerty]

I'd love to know how many girls have missed school and for how long for this idea to be taken up.
Some might say one is too many.
This is certainly going to be open to abuse.

Slapping VAT on a necessity was scandalous.

[woofgang]

the charity that started this off (Red Box Project) is local to me. Apparently the reason that this has gone national is that when the charity was doing it, in the supported schools, it cut absenteeism in young teenage girls by a third!