Scotland is the first country to provide free menstrual products to all girls and women. The Scottish parliament introduced the change by unanimously passing the Period Products (Free Provision) (Scotland) Act in November 2020. The legislation made it a legal right to have free access to sanitary products in public buildings. Under the legislation, local officials and education providers are legally required to make period products available — free of charge — to anyone who needs them.

Every month, billions of girls and women menstruate around the world.  Whether their menstrual cycle disrupts their activities or not, it is a financial burden.

According to Pandia Health, if a woman was to use one tampon every six hours and four tampons are used every day, that would equal to 20 tampons for every five-day menstrual cycle, totalling to 9,120 tampons in their life. If a box of tampons cost $7 and there are 36 tampons in one box, the cost for a lifetime would equal to$1,733.33. With panty liners, an estimated average would be $433.33 per lifetime.

If a woman were to use three to five pads a day over a five-day period, they would likely spend around $4,752 in their lifetime on pads.

If a woman leaked during periods and one ruined panty cost $5, it would cost $2,280 for 456 periods.

Providing free menstrual products to girls and women makes it easier for them to fully participate in society.

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If you enjoyed this article, you might want to read Menstrual Hygiene Management in Africa