A survey into the effects of period poverty in Scotland has revealed the desperate lengths women go to, including resorting to using old clothes or newspapers, when they cannot afford sanitary protection.



Research by the grassroots group Women for Independence, which will be released in full next month, reveals nearly one in five women have experienced period poverty – when females struggle to pay for basic sanitary products on a monthly basis, which has a significant impact on their hygiene, health and wellbeing.

The most common alternative used was toilet roll, with others citing rags, old clothes, T-shirts, socks and newspapers. And 17% said that they had at some point relied on charitable sources, such as food banks or friends, with a significant number turning to public toilets to access free toilet roll.

Victoria Heaney a WFI committee member, has analysed the responses of more than 1,000 women to what she believes is the most detailed survey of its kind. The results showed:

Nearly one in five respondents said that they had had to go without period products because of finances, while one in 10 said they had been forced to prioritise other essential household items, such as food, over buying sanitary wear.



22% of respondents reported they were not able to change their products as often as they would like to, with 11% of those describing a significant health impact because of this, such as a urinary tract infection or thrush.



Women are estimated to spend an average of £13 a month on period products and several thousands of pounds over a lifetime.

Respondents described their feelings of shame and isolation, worrying about smell, feeling uncomfortable, and missing out on days of education, work and social events because they felt unable to go out.

Victoria Heaney, who set up the #FreePeriodScotland campaign, said: “The findings of the research are incredible. For the first time we have a picture of what women are going through every day. The emotional labour spent concealing that you are going without products has such a detrimental impact.

“For me, the research is not only about women in poverty. It is about breaking the shame and stigma that go hand in hand with talking about menstruation. I hope the research starts a national conversation, from the dinner table to parliament, and contributes to a culture shift in our attitudes and education.”

Kerry Wright, 35, is a volunteer at the Community Food Initiatives North East (CFINE), a food bank and social enterprise based in Aberdeen that has been running the Scottish government’s pilot scheme providing free period products to local women.



She said: “It takes me right back to my own experiences as a teenage girl. My parents were addicts, so they were in and out of mental institutions and prison. As the eldest of five, I was carer for my siblings. There was never any money, so I used what we had at home: socks, toilet roll. You do what you can, washing more regularly.

“I was so ashamed when my sister had to go through the same thing, but I didn’t know who to go to for help. I thought it had to be kept a secret. Also, I knew that if I had told anyone what was going on then I would have had to speak about my family situation, and I didn’t want to do that.”

Scotland is leading the way in offering more and more women and girls access to free period products. First minister Nicola Sturgeon announced in her programme for government last September that free sanitary products would be provided in schools, colleges and universities from the autumn, while a pilot scheme offering free products to low-income households in Aberdeen will report back to Holyrood shortly.

The Scottish Labour MSP, Monica Lennon, has called on the government to go one step further and make Scotland a “world-leader in tackling period poverty” by introducing a universal system. Her members’ bill is currently at the consultation stage. In the interim, a number of individual businesses have started providing free products independently. It is becoming increasingly common in Scotland to walk into a women’s toilet and find free products by the sinks, or with an honesty box.

The Aberdeenshire East MSP, Gillian Martin, who has championed the campaign in the Scottish parliament along with Lennon, said: “It is clear from this extensive research that we have reached a pivotal moment in addressing the issue of period poverty. Women should not have to make the choice between putting dinner on the table and providing sanitary products for themselves and their daughters.”