Period equity and menstrual hygiene rights have become a hot topic in Taiwan since last year.

While every woman has menstrual period and many of them have to suffer menstrual cramps or feel unwell for at least one to three days each month, it is rarely discussed in public sphere and in some societies. Women in their menstrual periods are even considered impure, dirty, sick or cursed, and they are banned from taking part in various social events because of that.

It is estimated in Taiwan that on average, a woman has to spend around NT$100,000, equivalent to 182,000 pesos, to buy period products in their lifetime. Not to mention those with menstrual disorders who need to buy pain relievers or other products which will cost them more.

It undoubtedly is not a small amount of money especially for underprivileged families; thus, the issue of period poverty has drawn people's attention and lawmakers and activists in Taiwan are pushing for the practice of offering free tampons and pads in schools to solve the problem.

According to With Red, the first non-profit organization to tackle period poverty and menstrual inequity in Taiwan, nearly 90 percent of Taiwanese women have borrowed period products from someone else at least once and over 50 percent of women have the experience of not being able to find someone to borrow the products.

Sara Wu, chief operating officer of With Red, said in a press conference that during the pandemic, the organization offered more than 1,000 tampons and pads to their clients with period poverty problems. She emphasized that Scotland and New Zealand have already been offering free tampons and pads in schools and Taiwan should follow suit.

As of now, six cities in Taiwan are implementing the policy and the Ministry of Education has promised that every school will offer free tampons and pads for students starting from next academic year.
Nonetheless, the issue of period equity is not just about free tampons and pads but also menstrual hygiene rights and gender equality.

A 2018 report published by UNICEF (United Nations Children's Emergency Fund) and WaterAid found that more than a third of girls in South Asia miss school during their periods, mainly due to lack of access to toilets and pads in schools and no proper education about menstruation.

In India, sanitary pads were taxed at 12 percent under the Goods and Services Tax that took effect in 2017. But lawmaker Sushmita Dev launched a petition to demand a reduction or total removal of taxes on pads, citing that about 70 percent of women in India could not afford them.

After the online petition gained more than 400,000 signatures, the Indian government has completely exempted sanitary pads from GST by charging a zero percent tax rate on the sale of pads.

Even developed countries like Germany had long implemented a 19 percent tax on menstrual products while goods such as caviar and truffles were taxed at only 7 percent. It was criticized that "the fathers of the tampon tax never had a period," and the country eventually dropped the tax rate on tampons and sanitary pads to 7 percent following an online campaign in 2019.

Due to taboos and superstitions, open discussions of the menstrual period are considered inappropriate in many countries, and most girls in Taiwan have the experience of "hiding" the tampons and pads in a paper bag or cosmetic bag when they buy these products or when they go to ladies' room.

Huang Wei-che, the mayor of Tainan City in southern Taiwan, described the money women need to spend on sanitary products as just like a "menstrual tax." Following the trend of period equity, the Tainan City government has started promoting menstrual education in elementary schools for kids to know more about the issue, gender equality and for boys to learn how to respect the opposite sex.