Period poverty: Charities urge free products in schools to continue

More and more young women and girls are struggling to afford period products, according to groups that give them out.

Charities in England, Scotland and Wales told BBC Newsbeat they struggled to keep up with demand in 2023.

They've urged the UK government to confirm it will extend its scheme providing free period products in English schools and colleges past July.

A Department for Education spokesperson said 99% of England's secondaries have used the service since 2020.

It launched in January of that year in response to concerns about pupils missing school because they couldn't afford tampons, pads or other products.

The Department of Education did not directly respond to questions about whether it would continue the scheme past summer 2024.

Those who work to tackle period poverty said they were concerned about the potential impact of removing the service, which allows staff to order in products.

Newsbeat spoke to 71 organisations, including food banks and women's centres, that hand out thousands of free tampons, pads and reusables each year.

Six out of 10 said they'd struggled to keep up with demand for period products in 2023, with more than two thirds adding that the level of need had increased during 2023 when compared with 2022.

Jess Matthews, who grew up in care and experienced period poverty, tells Newsbeat it was an isolating experience.

"You were given a monthly allowance, but it wasn't much money at all.

"It made you feel embarrassed, especially because a lot of the other young people around were boys. So you couldn't really talk to anyone about it."

Jess now volunteers with The SuPer Project, in Nottingham, to make reusable menstrual products.

"We've definitely seen more people coming to us saying that they've been struggling to afford products," Jess says.

"People need all the money they can get at the moment to put on their gas, pay the utility bills, buy food.

"So because the cost-of-living crisis has got so bad, people are more likely to come to us now and say, 'Actually, I really need some help'."

The average cost of disposable products in the UK is around £10 a month per person, according to charity Bloody Good Period.

Over half of the charities Newsbeat spoke to suggested they'd like to hand out more reusable products but a number indicated that disposables, such as tampons and pads were still preferred by women.

Jess says reusables have the potential to break people out of "the cycle of period poverty" and can last up to five years if properly cared for.

But she admits there's a stigma around reusables and that she was "completely against the idea to begin with".

She puts that down to things like the use of words such as "sanitary" promoting an old-fashioned idea that periods are dirty.

"But then you use the products and you're like, it's my blood," says Jess. "What's the problem with this?"

The availability of free period products varies according to where you live in the UK.

Molly Fenton, 21, has been campaigning for better access to products in Wales with the group Love Your Period.

She feels that the schemes available are good, but politicians and other authority figures don't do enough to publicise the availability of free product schemes.

Education on how to use tampons and pads is also something that is lacking, in her view.

"I personally in school was taught how to use a condom three times, but no-one ever taught me how to use a tampon," she says.

"Many young people are coming forward and telling us their stories of the first time they had to use tampons without any education too.

"We have to ensure that girls do learn how to safely use period products."

Journalist Sali Hughes co-founded Beauty Banks in 2018, an organisation that gives out essential hygiene products to charities to distribute to those in need.

She says they've seen a rise in demand across all the things they supply, but requests for tampons have risen much faster.

Sali says being unable to access period products can have a huge impact on girls' education, and schools she works with have told her that attendance increases when pupils have access to adequate period protection.

"We know attendance goes up, we know girls are more focused, more engaged in their classes," she says.

Sali believes period provision should be seen as a basic healthcare measure, and made available free to those who need it.

"You wouldn't remove toilet paper from the toilets at school, for example, you wouldn't remove food from the canteen," she says.

"So please can we continue to have period products which are absolutely essential items to students in schools?"

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