In the news
“In The Netherlands, tampons and pads are taxed with a reduced 9% rate as they are considered health and hygiene products. For an average menstrual cycle, a person would use about 35 pads. Paying for menstrual pads is a financial burden that people who menstruate cannot avoid.”
— Neighborhood Feminists
“According to Het Dames Verband, a period fundraising campaign from De Bovengrondse, the government believes it has enough measures in place to reduce poverty. However, change may be possible on a municipal level. The Hague, Amstelveen and Rotterdam have started a pilot on providing free menstrual products to certain public institutes such as schools or municipality buildings. Amsterdam, Utrecht, and Gouda are all investigating how they can relieve period poverty for their residents.”
— Dutch Review
“Nine percent of girls and young women between the ages of 12 and 25 in the Netherlands sometimes can't afford to buy tampons or sanitary pads. Because the topic is deemed too shameful to talk about, this results in them resorting to paper towels or toilet paper, cutting back on things like fruit or vegetables, or missing school or work, according to studies by development organization Plan International and feminist platform De Bovengrondse.”
— NL Times
Did you know that…
An estimated 10% of girls within the EU cannot afford sanitary products
23% of Dutch girls skip school during their periods due to feelings of shame, and because bins are not always provided in school toilets
9% of Dutch young women claim they cannot afford to buy tampons or sanitary pads
Initiatives such as the Foodbank do not guarantee the regular provision of menstrual products, as they are rarely donated or prioritized.
Pain medication, which is crucial to lessen debilitating menstrual cramps, is often further outside of budget
The COVID-19 crisis has led to greater recognition of its global prevalence and more visibility for affected individuals
Corporations profit enormously from menstruation, shifting financial burdens onto women with their pricing models
Infrequent exchanging of sanitary products can lead to an accumulation of bacteria, triggering a potentially fatal condition known as Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS)
48% of Dutch women between 12 and 24 report feeling “dirty” while on their period
Period poverty is an invisible problem as women internalize and hide their shame, which contributes to a lack of awareness and prevents societal addressing of the issue - Periodic is to spread the awareness and change things!
It is estimated that on average Dutch women spend monthly 7,90 euro on period products
67% of Dutch women think menstrual products should be provided for free - that is why we created Periodic
35% of Dutch women did not have menstrual products available at hand when they had their first period - thus the MenstruMap!
Sanitary towels are the most used menstrual product in the Netherlands, followed by tampons
Majority of people (96%women & 71%men) under 35 think period products should be freely available in schools
Our sources:
Motreanu, D.. (2020, December 10). Period poverty in the EU [Question for written answer
E-006746/2020]. © European Union, 2020 - Source: European Parliament.
https://www.europarl.eRTL news. (2021) Taboe rond menstruatie op basisschool: “Geen prullenbakjes op de wc”. (2021, 25 mei). 2021, Research by Essity
Plan International. (2019, November 5). Schaamte bij Menstruatie. https://www.planinternational.nl/uploaded/2019/11/Plan-International-Bloedserieus-onderzoek-over-menstruatie-armoede-en-schaamte.pdf?x36072
De Boer, L. (2019). Rapport onderzoek, `Verkenning van menstruatie - armoede in Nederland´. DOI:
10.3109/03602538308991387 https://debovengrondse.nl/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Rapport-menstruatie-armoede-De-Bovengrondse.pdfDe Boer, L. (2019). Rapport onderzoek, `Verkenning van menstruatie - armoede in Nederland´. DOI:
10.3109/03602538308991387 https://debovengrondse.nl/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Rapport-menstruatie-armoede-De-Bovengrondse.pdfCrawford, B. J., & Waldman, E. G. (2020). Period Poverty in a Pandemic: Harnessing Law to Achieve
Crawford, B. (2018, June 25). Against Menstrual Capitalism. https://www.feministlawprofessors.com/2018/06/against-menstrual-capitalism/
Harvard Health. (2018, 5 december). Toxic Shock Syndrome.
https://www.health.harvard.edu/a_to_z/toxic-shock-syndrome-a-to-zDe Boer, L. (2019). Rapport onderzoek, `Verkenning van menstruatie - armoede in Nederland´. DOI:
10.3109/03602538308991387 https://debovengrondse.nl/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Rapport-menstruatie-armoede-De-Bovengrondse.pdfThe Menstrual Mark: Menstruation as Social Stigma. Ingrid Johnston-Robledo &; Joan C. Chrisler, 2013
De Boer, L. (2019). Rapport onderzoek, `Verkenning van menstruatie - armoede in Nederland´. DOI:
10.3109/03602538308991387 https://debovengrondse.nl/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Rapport-menstruatie-armoede-De-Bovengrondse.pdf . Note: international research showed women spend more money, with an average of 15,30 Euro per month: Huffington Post (2015) Women Spend More Than £18,000 On Having Periods In Their Lifetime, Study Reveals. https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/09/03/women-spend-thousands-on-periods-tampon-tax_n_8082526.htmlhttps://www.planinternational.nl/uploaded/2019/11/Plan-International-Bloedserieus-onderzoek-over-menstruatie-armoede-en-schaamte.pdf?x36072 & Huffington Post (2015) Women Spend More Than £18,000 On Having Periods In Their Lifetime, Study Reveals. https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/09/03/women-spend-thousands-on-periods-tampon-tax_n_8082526.html
UNFPA (June 2021), Menstruation and human rights