The Taichung City Government is working to eliminate menstrual poverty in the city and it seems that local organizations are here to help.
Taichung’s Deputy Mayor, Bruce Linghu (令狐榮達), said recently that it is estimated that women in Taiwan spend an average of 100,000 dollars on feminine hygiene products over their lifetimes. This obviously creates a financial imbalance between men and women, without even getting into gender wage discrepancies. This financial burden is even more difficult for those already dealing with issues of poverty. That is why the city government is looking to eliminate this cost for women struggling to afford it.
Recently the government has been getting assistance from local groups as well. 66 Rotary clubs from around Taichung pitched in NT$1 million to help with the effort to provide menstrual pads to those in need throughout the city.
These items will be stocked in government buildings frequented by impoverished citizens including food banks, public housing, family welfare centers amongst others. This should help to greatly increase access for the people that need them the most.
This is a good step and reminiscent of other efforts such as those by National Sun Yat-sen University students to offer menstrual pads for free across campus. Hopefully this will spur other cities to do the same thing and for both local and the national government to offer these items for free in all of their buildings to help reduced the financial burden for all women.