Period Poverty Pioneers

Essential Products Free for All

The SNP believe it is unacceptable that any woman or girl in Scotland should be unable to access sanitary products due to ‘period poverty’, where they cannot afford to buy these essential products. We believe in making sanitary products easily accessible to those who need them, without stigma.

In 2022, Scotland became the first country in the world to make period products free for all.

There is now a legal duty on local authorities to provide free items such as tampons and sanitary pads to anyone who needs them, with products distributed through councils and education providers. Products must be easily obtained, in a way that respects people’s dignity, and a range of products must be made available.

This followed the SNP Scottish Government making history by becoming the first government in the world to make period products free to students when the scheme began in 2018. That year, a survey of more than 2,000 people by Young Scot found that about one in four respondents at school, college or university in Scotland had struggled to access period products.

Since then, the SNP Government have invested over £53 million to fund access to free period products across a range of settings including schools, colleges and universities, wider public spaces and targeted access through community groups for those on low incomes.

Scotland is leading the world in improving period dignity. Other actions taken forward under SNP Scottish Governments include supporting Hey Girls to develop a Locator App that helps people access free products and campaigning to remove the stigma surrounding periods through the #TalkPeriods campaign.

Morevoer, policies across the Scottish Government, in health and beyond, are making a difference to women’s health, including pregnancy and maternity, screening, mental health, fair work, employability, childcare and more.

The SNP's Women's Health Plan brought about concrete changes and improvements. We now have a Women’s Health Leads Network, specialist menopause services in health boards across the country, a women’s health platform on NHS Inform, a menopause and menstrual health workplace policy for NHS Scotland, and a Women’s Health Champion.

The SNP will continue to work to ensure women and girls in Scotland are listened to, informed, and supported to enjoy the best possible health throughout their lives.