in the Netherlands, at the UvA and Beyond. (Part I)
By Toyah Höher | News | March 12, 2024
Cover Illustration: A woman passes a menstrual product to another, 2020 Annika Gordon / Unsplash
News Reporter Toyah Höher compiles insights of different actors involved in fighting period poverty in Amsterdam.
Periods have long been a matter of stigmatization, economic hardship and inequity. Fortunately, countries, municipalities, cities and institutions around the world have begun providing menstrual hygiene products for free following the Scottish government’s famous decision in 2021 to make these products free for everyone.
Why hasn’t the Netherlands followed the Scottish example? Or at least Amsterdam? Not even the UvA?
In 2022, research by the Neighborhood Feminists on period poverty in Amsterdam confirmed that “period poverty is a very real, growing issue in the city: “27% of people who menstruate have been unable to afford period products, while 38% found it difficult to pay.” The research also confirmed that lacking access to menstrual hygiene products can completely upend people’s lives during their periods, with 7 in 10 of those who struggled to afford products missing school or work during menstruation.
Although the Dutch government boasts decreasing poverty numbers in the Netherlands, local aid organizations report an opposite trend from the ground and poverty is expected to increase in 2024. Research by the Armoedefonds (poverty fund) from the fall of 2023 found that in light of rising prices, more than half of the 375 organizations surveyed saw increases in requests for aid last year, to the extent that more and more of them suffer from shortages and operate with waitlists. In conversation with The Amsterdammer, Lotte Meerhoff of the Armoedefonds advocates for more political attention to the mismatch: “We notice that politics is often focused on the hard poverty numbers, whereas on the ground the problems are still largely present.”
Why the discrepancy? Actual rates of need can be underestimated by municipal figures, as they often don’t include the undocumented or homeless. What’s more, as Sela Graaven of the advocacy initiative Periodic tells The Amsterdammer, defining period poverty through general poverty figures overlooks those with mid-level incomes who might not be under the poverty line, but still struggle to pay bills and weigh purchasing decisions. As a result, period poverty remains a hidden and misunderstood problem.
But, since rising prices are leading to an overall need for aid, why focus on menstrual poverty in particular?
Amsterdam city council member Anne Wehkamp (D66) tells The Amsterdammer that a central political argument (mostly made by more conservative parties) against initiatives targeted specifically towards eradicating period poverty is that its root causes are the same as for all other kinds of poverty — dividing the issue into different categories and addressing them individually would therefore be a waste of resources compared to comprehensive poverty reduction packages.
Anne quips that simply including the word “gender” in a proposal is all it takes for right-wing opposition to vote against. Menstrual poverty is often viewed as something that only women (should) have to deal with. She admits that the Netherlands still harbors the compounding “double taboo” of period poverty: menstruation itself is often a taboo topic, as is poverty in general. Political attention to the issue can lag as a result.
On top of this, the monthly cost of menstrual hygiene products can seem negligible. Tammy Sheldon, co-founder of the Neighborhood Feminists, makes the case for period poverty to be nevertheless given particular, focused attention: “It’s not a small sum when a person is already having to make a number of difficult choices about how they will spend their limited funds.” She tells The Amsterdammer: “Poverty must be structurally addressed at the national level. However crucial these steps are, they do take time, and periods don’t wait for policy makers (or anything else). This particular aspect of poverty also happens to be a matter of gender equity and public health.”
While aid organizations report that menstrual hygiene products are among the most frequently requested donations, these needs tend to be overlooked by donors. “We are definitely forgetting about periods,” Sela notes. “People don’t see it as a poverty problem. They don’t see it as a dignity issue.”
Although it can still be argued, as Sela does, that “Amsterdam is a bit behind” in addressing menstrual equity compared to policy in some other European countries, the last couple of years have in fact seen tangible policy output. Following the 2022 research by the Neighborhood Feminists, Anne contributed to a proposal led by Milka Yemane (GroenLinks) for the Amsterdam city council to provide more funding for the prevention of period poverty and education around menstrual health to minimize stigma. In 2022, D66 also tabled a proposal in the Tweede Kamer to provide products for those with the lowest incomes through organizations such as the Food Bank, the Armoedefonds or the Red Cross. Both proposals passed in March 2023 and December 2022 respectively and were implemented quite quickly, according to Anne. This funding has helped national-level organizations like the Armoedefonds and local initiatives like the Neighborhood Feminists continue and expand their work of directly providing free products to those in need.
The Armoedefonds supplies products through almost 2,000 distribution points all over the Netherlands (they have a map!). Lotte tells The Amsterdammer that funding from the national government has enabled them to start up to 2,500 points.
In Amsterdam, the Neighborhood Feminists operate over 60 Menstruation Stations (they also have a map!). Their solution avoids the discomforts of having to ask somebody to access the products or using dispensers releasing a single product at once; you can simply take as much as you need out of a self-serve cabinet, “no questions asked.” The municipal subsidy they received following the approval of the city council proposal, together with private support, enabled the two-fold expansion of these Stations, from 28 in 2022 to 60 by the end of 2023.
“Period poverty has definitely become more visible to policymakers. The political mandate coming out of the bill is clear,” Tammy notes. “But there is still some distance between the level of concern being expressed about the issue and actual sustainable solutions.”
Lotte agrees: “Two years ago, there really was momentum, which helped us to get the government to provide money to set up more MUPs (points). On the other hand, we see in our own research that more and more people are asking for products.”
Both proposals were technically one-time funding allocation measures, but Anne isn’t worried about whether they will be renewed: “I am confident they will continue working on the topic. {The alderwoman} is talking about this issue. She’s really involved.” Period poverty is explicitly mentioned in Amsterdam’s official budget for 2024, and the municipality has committed itself to continue working with aid organizations to provide more menstrual products and education.
It seems as though the distance between the far-reaching policy change seen in Scotland and Dutch policy is slowly shrinking. At the same time, aid organizations still have their work cut out for them–it remains unclear whether the Netherlands will fully follow Scotland’s example.
But how can we get… closer?
The Neighborhood Feminists “continue to press for longer-term changes and advocate for sufficient funding of a suitably broad-scope municipal period poverty initiative, including wider access to comprehensive menstrual health education. Simply providing access to products is not enough, given the level of stigma,” Tammy tells The Amsterdammer.
Anne recommends to “invest more, especially in those neighborhoods where it’s actually more needed,” like Zuidoost, Nieuw West and Noord. Indeed, the municipality could start by “putting menstrual hygiene products in [its] own buildings. We’re not doing that.”
“It’s really important for local organizations to be better supported,” Lotte insists. “They are the ones that truly see poverty and can really help and alleviate pain.” At the same time, it can seem like the municipality is relying on these organizations to fix the issue for them: “The issue of period poverty is most effectively and sustainably addressed through needs-based solutions led by municipalities. Specifically allocated public funding is key,” Tammy argues.
To make sure aid organizations have enough resources to help in the meantime, the private sector can also play a role: Libresse, a commercial brand of period products, began cooperation with the Armoedefonds last September.
“I’m really happy to see the results right now, there is so much improvement, and so many new boxes,” Anne celebrates. “People are seeing this, acknowledging this, working on this. Schools are now paying more attention to it as well.” But “in the end, poverty is a lack of money,” Lotte reminds. “The most important part is making sure people’s incomes are high enough to pay for their most basic needs. That means the minimum wage should go up, but also social welfare.”
At the same time, Tammy contends, “remaining silent about periods and poverty ensures that period poverty will continue. It’s and-and: structural solutions to alleviate poverty and the housing crisis must be paired with practical solutions that address underserved menstrual needs where they exist, including providing information.” Education and awareness-raising initiatives in and outside of schools are crucial to reduce stigma. For Periodic, taboo deconstruction starts at the personal level: “Speak it out loud,” Sela says. “By not doing it, you keep having that internalized stigma and shame.”
Individuals can have further concrete impact by volunteering with or donating money or leftover products to a local organization like the Armoedefonds or the Neighborhood Feminists.
Overall, Tammy remarks, “you have a situation where despite slowly increasing visibility and some funding, the issue continues to fester, hiding in plain sight, and resistance to the needed changes remains.” Whether the momentum of the last couple years leads to lasting change in the form of parliamentary follow-up action “is vulnerable to shifts in the political wind,” and the populist right-wing pivot of last November’s general elections leaves doubts as to the prioritization likely to be given to issues of reproductive health in the near future. Grassroots advocacy is sure to remain decisive.
Toyah Höher is a university student in Amsterdam. The views expressed here are not necessarily those of The Amsterdammer.
