menstrual items
Majority for free tampons in public buildings
They already exist in a toilet at the University of Jena: free tampons. photo
© Martin Schutt/dpa
Scotland is leading the way, and a survey in Germany also shows a majority: Pads and tampons should therefore be available free of charge in public buildings.
A majority of the German population would support free menstrual products in public buildings.
In a representative survey by the opinion research institute YouGov, 66 percent of those questioned were in favor of giving menstruating people free access to items such as tampons or pads in community centers or pharmacies. 18 percent reject this, 16 percent of those questioned made no statement.
According to the survey, women are more likely to support such a regulation at 72 percent than men at 61 percent. The approval was highest among supporters of the Greens and the SPD (76 percent each), with 52 percent lowest among supporters of the AfD.
The reason for the survey was a law that came into force in Scotland on Monday. It obliges education and city agencies to “make free period products available to anyone who needs them.” According to its own information, Scotland is the first country in the world to have such a law. Menstrual products have been available in many public places there since 2017.