Access to free period products: baseline survey results

Conclusion

The findings in this report provide an overview of experiences and attitudes towards periods, period products and access to free period products amongst those who may need to use them. The data presented in this report was gathered from an online survey of 1,400 respondents undertaken prior to the Act coming into force on 15 August 2022.

It is important to be aware of the context during survey data collection. Free period products have been available since August 2018 in educational settings and became a legislative requirement from October 2020. Therefore, the variation between young people and adults in awareness and use of free period products can partly be explained by this nuance.

Overall, respondents felt: informed about their periods and period products; comfortable talking to others about their period; and, unconcerned about being teased about their period. This hints towards a positive culture surrounding menstruation and period dignity. However, there are proportions of the population who do not agree with these statements. In particular, two key groups are likely to face such worries and concerns regarding their periods and using period products: young people (compared to adults) and respondents living in lower income households (compared to those living in higher income households).

The vast majority (91% of respondents) felt in a position to generally be able to afford enough period products to enable them to continue with their day-to-day activities. However, there were key sub-groups where agreement with this statement was lower. In particular, those living in lower income households were less likely to agree with this statement than those from higher income households. This highlights the need for this policy area in order to support equality and dignity for all those who require period products in Scotland.

Given the context, awareness and use of free period products was higher among young people compared to adults. However, awareness was low amongst those who perhaps needed the provision most. For example, respondents who struggled to afford period products had significantly less awareness than those who reported being able to afford period products. Further, respondents from lower income households were less aware of settings where they could obtain free period products, compared to those from higher income households.

Again, given the nature of the context and the aims of this baseline survey, it is not surprising that half of respondents had not accessed free period product provision. However, for those who had obtained products, these tended to have been obtained conveniently and with reasonable ease. Further, many were able to obtain their preferred period product. For the minority who faced challenges or barriers in accessing free period products this tended to be due to a lack of available products or due to feeling embarrassed or anxious. The former point is a supply issue and should be monitored, particularly as it was more widely reported to be an issue for those from lower income households (compared to those from higher income households). The latter point is one of stigma and the need for culture change to normalise menstruation and the right to access free period products.

Finally, the survey considered the wider impacts of access to free period products on wellbeing and individual finances. Around three-quarters of respondents reported the free products made them less worried about their period and more able to continue with day-to-day activities. A smaller majority of respondents reported free products had a positive impact on their household finances. However, it is significant to note that free products particularly had a positive impact on household finances for the following groups: those who had reported struggling to afford period products (compared to those who felt able to afford products); and those who were concerned about their monthly spend on period products (compared to those with no concerns about monthly spend). This reiterates the potential positive outcomes from this policy in terms of supporting equality and reducing the cost of living for households with menstruating people.

The data presented in this report is from a baseline survey undertaken prior to the Act coming into force on 15 August 2022. We intend to replicate this survey in 2025 in order to allow direct comparisons to be made between the two time periods. This will allow us to evaluate and assess how views and experiences have changed over time since the Act commenced.