Before I start talking about how Scotland became the first country in the world to have free period products for women everywhere, I’d like to mention that the text was originally published in Romanian, as sometimes it is more natural for me to write in my native language. Still, it might differ a little bit from the original one, since I might feel the need to give some context every now and then for things that are culturally relatable for those of Romanian origins, which might not be transposed into other cultures as well. If you also want to read the Romanian version, you can just translate the page into your language, by using Google Chrome’s feature.
Moreover, the English version might have be faulty at times, but I’ve decided against using ChatGPT to edit any mistakes, since I produce all the content and I want it to feel as authentic as possible.
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To sum it up, this story begins with an Anglican cathedral that I happened to stumble upon on my recent trip to Scotland, and it later opens a dialogue about inclusion and women’s accessibility to menstrual products, which turned Scotland into a worldwide example of how we can do better.
I will also mention the concept of period poverty for a little bit, and the shame that is associated with menstruation (where I will share some instances where I internalized that shame from school and from the Orthodox Church). In this text, you will also find info about one of the few countries in the world to offer paid leave for women experiencing menstrual pain – and the only one in Europe so far. I will end the story with a campaign that aims at providing a safer environment for women in bars and restaurants.
I will also mention the concept of period poverty for a little bit, and the shame that is associated with menstruation (where I will share some instances where I internalized that shame from school and from the Orthodox Church). In this text you will also find info about one of the few countries in the world to offer paid leave for women experiencing menstrual pain – and the only one in Europe so far. I will end the story with a campaign that aims at providing a safer environment for women in bars and restaurants.
And to come to a complete circle, while documenting this text I was to found out that the cathedral that inspired me to write about this topic was built with the money donated by two women.
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It’s been less than a month since I returned from my one-week trip to Scotland. I am a solo traveler, so most of the times I indulge myself in just exploring the cities I happen to visit, without any precise destination in mind. I love to feel the local atmosphere, to discover the architecture, especially if the weather allows me to spend most of my day outside.
That is how I came across St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral in Edinburgh. According to this website, the idea for a new cathedral started with two spinster sisters, Barbara and Mary Walker, who left their entire fortune to the Scottish Episcopal Church on the condition that a cathedral was built. A competition was held to design the new building and six architects came forward with plans. The winner was Sir George Gilbert Scott, a prolific architect also responsible for St Pancras Station and the Albert Memorial. His design drew heavily on medieval gothic architecture, with a large central tower and spire.
The reason that the two sisters are mentioned in this text it is because we will talk about how I realized that the menstrual products are free all over Scotland, while exploring this particular place.
I love the gothic and neogothic architecture, especially when it comes to cathedrals and churches. I love the colorful stained-glass windows, how the altars are decorated, the statues, the organ choir and, most importantly, that these places are opened for everyone – be it a devout or a curious tourist.
Having been born into the Eastern Orthodox Christian faith, the first time I ever stepped into a church from a different religious group was in Barcelona, where I happen to attend the Catholic Easter prayer, and it took me by surprise how opened and inclusive it was to foreigners.
When I was young and I used to go to the church with my grandma on some Sundays or on Easter, I always found it suffocating how strict, how solemn, how stuck in time everyone used to be there – from priests, to older people. And because the topic of this text is also related to propagation of shame in regards to menstruation, that sort of shame is also encouraged by the Eastern Orthodox Church, who believes that women are unholy while on their period, and thus they should not step into a church at the time being. Even as a young woman, I found that disturbing and suffocating – a God that would see my symbol of womanhood as a stain. I now know, of course, that church means also politics and the discourse is far more complicated than this.
But in this context, where I was being exposed to a more inclusive attitude toward the other, in time I got to be more curious and to step into a church that does not belong to the Eastern Orthodox cult with every opportunity I get, and learn more about this grand world we are living in.
And now we are getting to the main subject of the text. Bearing in mind the context I grew up in, you can only imagine how surprised I was to discover in this particular cathedral’s restroom not one, but two baskets filled with menstrual products of various kinds. So surprised that I took a photo, because I did not want to forget about it, and because for a moment I found it extremely peculiar and completely opposite to the mentality of the dominant church in Romania.
And then, for the days that followed, this encounter bugged me. In fact, it bugged me so much that I started writing a list with things that I loved about Scotland, and the accessibility to menstrual products was number one on that list.
Even though I did not actively realize it until that moment in St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral, I then remembered that I have seen many other similar flyers in bathrooms all over Scotland. One of the hostels I stayed in, for example, had products available, but you had to ask for them at the reception. In some restaurants I have seen either shelves with menstrual products or flyers that encouraged you to ask the staff if needed. Moreover, the Highland Folk Museum even had tampons and pads available in men’s restrooms, as some guy told me. I will talk about this a little bit later.
Once I got back home, I was talking to a co-worker about how remarkable it seemed to me that there were so many places with menstrual available products, and once I said it out loud, I had another realization. “I must have seen a news on the topic at soome time”, I told to myself and one Google search later revealed to me something even more remarkable that I’ve expected.
In 2022, Scotland became the first country in the world to make period products free for all women, after a bill was passed by the Parliament back in 2020. So, it is mandatory for the authorities to make sure that every woman has access to whatever menstrual product they need, and in whichever quantity.
Menstruation equals shame
According to BBC News, the Scottish Government has spent 27m pounds since 2017 to facilitate women’s access to menstrual products, because long before it had national effects, there were some initiatives that started in schools and universities.
I find this law to be remarkable: not only because there are plenty of females who do not afford to buy menstrual products, but also because by talking about it, menstruation is no longer a topic that should only be discussed behind open doors, in whispers, and only between women.
I remember when I was in secondary school, and later in high school, there were some women who came to talk to us about pads, menstruation, menstruation cycle and how to count the days in our menstrual cycle (because those things happened before smart phones and apps that do that for you). Now that I think about it, the way our teachers reacted in secondary school was absolutely insane – in their eyes, the whole thing seemed even more classified than a CIA training. All the boys were removed from our class, and once the talk was over, we were advised to keep the content of the conversation to ourselves and to make sure no male classmate will see the products that we received at the end of the course.
I also remember the shame of getting a blood stain on your pants and how humiliating it was to try and hide it from your male classmates, because menstruation was something that should be kept away from the prying eyes. Our biology classes explained the reproduction process in a very sterile way, that left no space for an opened dialogue on the real implications of having your period. On how it is to be a teen, to have menstrual pains.
I was talking to a girlfriend about this text and she reminded me about how no one wanted to use tampons because there was this myth going on how you will lose your virginity by using it. As I found out, she has learned how to use them just so she could go to the swimming pool on summer vacation. I first used tampons when I was 19 (19!!!), because I was going to the seaside with my boyfriend and I was ashamed of being asked by our friends why am I not wearing a bathing suit. A shame so deep that you could not even tell your friends openly about you being on your period. I don’t know how it was in other cultures and I would be very curious to find out about it, because I sometimes wonder if the things I have gone through as an Eastern European apply to other parts of the world as well.
And because I mentioned earlier the menstrual products in men’ restrooms, I wanted to look into it and so I discovered a document on the Scottish authorities’ website which explains why these products are available in such a place. One reason is that there are trans or non-binary people that might need the products, or there are men who might take the menstrual products for the female members of their families.
There are 500 million women who cannot afford period products
Being released of the menstrual shame seems like something extraordinary to me. Not having to hide the pad or the tampon when you go to the restroom. Getting rid of the stress that your period might start at the wrong time, in the wrong place, and you do not have any product in hand to deal with it.
And, more than this, it is even more important if we think about period poverty. Because according to Time, there are around 500 million of women who live in poverty, which means no access to period products. In Romania, a former communist country, women did not have access to pads or tampons. So they used cotton or rags to deal with menstruation. The same article mentions that half of these women and girls have to use, in some instances, paper and even dry weeds. Can you imagine how hellish and unhealthy that is? And, shockingly enough, this is not only happening in undeveloped countries. In US, two thirds of 16.9 million women with low-income could not buy menstrual products in 2022.
First country in Europe to offer paid leave for menstrual pains
Speaking about how to normalize the conversation regarding menstruation, while writing this text I have remembered of another thing I heard on the news: Spain has become the first country in Europe to give women three to five paid leave of they cannot perform their work duties due to menstrual pains. Justificative papers from the medical authorities are, obviously, needed prior to requesting menstrual leave, but I consider Spanish authorities’ decision a very useful tool in combating the stereotypes regarding menstruation.
According to Euronews, there are only a few countries worldwide to offer menstrual leave (Japan, Taiwan, South Corea, Zambia).
Ask for Angela, a campaign against women’s harassment in bars
This is the second most favorite thing about Scotland, because it deals with the safety and wellbeing of women.
I am talking about the “Ask for Angela” campaign, which aims at helping women who are feeling unsafe on a date in a bar or restaurant.
What does it mean, exactly? If you find yourself in a situation where you need to get away from a person, you can just go to any employee from that place and simply ask for Angela. Once you did that, they become responsible in helping you leave the place safely.
This campaign drew my attention while being in a situation like the one described above. I was in a restaurant, taking dinner on my own, enjoying a dark beer and live music. There were some glances towards my table from the bar and for a second I felt a bit scared to go to the restroom and leave my drink unattended. I had no other choice than go, and that is when I saw the poster, which made me feel a bit better. Safer, even. Especially since I always stress about dining on my own while traveling solo.
This campaign started in Licolnshire, in 2016, and then many other places implemented, such as some bars in Australia or Canada, but in Scotland it benefits from the support of the National Police.
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