As the cost of living rises, girls and women are increasingly forced to choose between purchasing menstrual products and food. The Victorian government is installing vending machines with free pads and tampons in up to 700 public places across Victoria. Last week, Premier Jacinta Allan and Minister for Women Natalie Hutchins announced the launch of the first 50 locations offering these free products in public spaces.
This initiative is globally pioneering, with only Scotland also providing free pads and tampons in public spaces and more recently the ACT. Since 2019, the Victorian government has been offering free sanitary products in public schools.
Menstrual products are a necessity and not a luxury and yet period poverty is increasing in Australia, a first world country. Period poverty and the lack of access to menstrual products and education, is a significant barrier to gender equality. It affects millions of people worldwide, leading to missed school days, work absences, and social stigma.
Share the Dignity is an Australian organisation focused on achieving menstrual equity in Australia. In 2024 Share the Dignity released their Bloody Big Survey, the world’s largest data on menstruation and the results are shocking. The data shows that period poverty is prevalent in every Australian state and is highest in Tasmania and lowest in the ACT. The stigma associated with menstruation is alive and well. The data indicates that missed work days due to periods cost the Australian economy $9.6 billion annually. This highlights the urgent need for more period-friendly workplaces.
The survey also found that 64 per cent of menstruators have struggled to afford period products due to cost and this number increases for some disadvantaged communities. Addressing period poverty is crucial for empowering individuals who menstruate, ensuring they can participate fully in society without shame or interruption.
By providing free sanitary products and comprehensive menstrual education, we can promote gender equality, improve health outcomes, and support the dignity and wellbeing of all individuals. This initiative by the Victorian government not only addresses a basic health need but also challenges the systemic inequalities that perpetuate gender disparities.
These systematic inequalities can not be more glaring than some of the comments under the Victorian Premier’s and Minister’s social media posts promoting this initiative and roll out of the vending machines. Some of the comments include ‘are condoms going to be free too’, ‘bring on free toilet paper’, ‘Good idea Tampon Allen’ and so on.
Many comments were predominantly posted by men, arguing that these products should not be publicly funded or that they are unnecessary expenses. This perspective stems from a lack of understanding about the essential nature of menstrual products and the impact of period poverty. Menstrual health is a critical aspect of overall health and well-being, and access to sanitary products is a basic human right. Criticisms often overlook the broader social and economic benefits of providing free menstrual products, such as improved public health, increased productivity, and enhanced gender equality.
We need to start having greater mainstream conversations about menstruation, sanitary products and period poverty to increase awareness and to foster support for initiatives that promote menstrual equity.
Those of us who are privileged often don’t think twice about the basic items we buy. When I go to the supermarket, especially if there’s a sale, I usually toss a few packets of pads and tampons into the trolley for myself and my daughter.
A couple of weeks ago, I encountered a woman experiencing homelessness outside my local supermarket. When I asked what she needed, she requested socks and underwear. As I shopped for my own necessities, I picked up those items for her and added some sanitary products. While I couldn’t change her life, I could make it a bit easier.
Now, with easily accessible vending machines offering free pads and tampons across Victoria, women and girls and especially those in need, can get them whenever they need them.