50.5% of the German population are women(as of 2021) and almost every woman has already found herself in the situation of not having period products with her, whether at school or university, at work or in her free time. In addition, girls and women with limited financial resources are exposed to health risks because they change their hygiene products irregularly or not at all.
It is estimated that women usually spend around €15.00 per month. Scotland was the first country in the world to pass a law in 2020, which came into force in 2022, to improve the situation for women. Menstrual products such as tampons and pads are offered free of charge in public facilities in order to reduce period poverty.
More and more public institutions in the region, such as the secondary school in Rehau, are also taking this approach. At the end of 2023, the Hof University of Applied Sciences made a joint commitment to hang up dispensers for period products at all four university campuses in order to make the hygiene products available to all menstruating women. Our aim at the university is to ensure that period products such as tampons and pads are available quickly and reliably. So far, the offer has been very well received; at the beginning, the dispensers had to be refilled daily.
If you haven’t seen the service yet, you can find the dispensers here:
- Hof campus: in the ladies’ toilet in the basement of the A building (AU22) as well as in the corridor in front of the disabled toilet (B019) in the B foyer
- Campus Kronach: in the ladies’ toilet facilities K363a/b
- Münchberg campus: in the disabled toilet in the cafeteria (Q006)
- Selb campus: in the ladies’ toilet N212a
