Small sanitary pads a big issue for women

Are women making a big fuss by asking for sanitary pads? But it's no small matter for women. A well-known writer has sparked a heated debate online with an article in which he rebuked women for asking for sanitary pads while being in quarantine.

Wu Kejing, vice-president of the Shaanxi Writers Association, has since been receiving a lot of flak even though he says he was misunderstood. He said he just wanted to highlight the pressure under which health workers and volunteers were working. In his write-up, "Rubber Gloves on Long Hair", Wu pointed out how two female worked hard to fight the pandemic in Xi'an and one used rubber gloves to tie her hair to save time to work.

While it is excessive for netizens to attack Wu in this manner, the incident is proof that many people still need to understand why sanitary pads are important for women.

Even before Wu's article made headlines, a debate was raging online after the woman posted a video on Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of Twitter, showing her asking staff members manning the center where she was quarantined for sanitary pads.

Some people suggested that the woman should look for alternatives at a time when most things are in short supply. Somebody suggested that the woman should "control her blood flow", while another wondered "why she can't overcome the problem without the pad". Some asked why some women do not account for possible quarantines by stocking up on pads. Some of the remarks showed that people lack basic knowledge about women's health.

Then there were others who criticized her for breaking quarantine rules and bothering staff members over a "trivial" matter.

Few people reasoned that women face a difficult time during their periods and that the woman in the video had been in distress for hours before complaining and should not be blamed.

The situation in China has improved a lot for women with regard to getting access to hygiene products. Sanitary pads entered China in the 1980s and became popular in the late 1990s. Before that women used coarse pieces of cloth, or made something out of worn-out clothes, plant ash or straw for using during their periods. And society was too conservative to even discuss the inconvenience women go through during their periods.

But times have changed. It is estimated that in 2020, the sales of clean pads and other hygiene products surpassed 30 billion yuan ($4.7 billion) and will excel 90 billion yuan in 2023. The young today even have a choice when picking up pads and other hygiene products such as menstrual underwear, tampon and menstrual cups.

In early 2020, some female medical workers who were at the forefront of the battle to control the novel coronavirus outbreak brought the spotlight on this important requirement that had for long remained neglected. Since then, there has been increased awareness on how "pads are necessary during menstruation", and society has become more sensitive to hygiene demands.

And yet, the woman in Shaanxi had to make a video to highlight a legitimate issue. She first made do with towels before sanitary pads arrived on her raising the issue. It only goes to show that a small sanitary pad remains a big issue for a woman.

The author is a writer with China Daily.