Women use their smartphones as they sit on a wooden structure at a shopping mall in Beijing, Saturday, May 6, 2023. ST ANDREWS, Scotland: Menstrual health and sanitary towels have been taboo subjects for hundreds of years in China. However, things are starting to change as women begin to feel more comfortable talking about this subject in public.
Period Pride has compared China with nearly 20 countries which have scrapped or reduced tampon taxes. It has highlighted the discrepancy in taxing tampons compared to other products on sale in China, such as tax-exempt contraceptive methods like condoms and birth control medication. In September 2023, China released an updated draft of its VAT law, and asked for public feedback. Period Pride was one of the groups that publicly argued that the tax on sanitary towels and tampons was too high.Period blood has long been falsely regarded as impure in China, with the potential to contaminate anyone who comes into contact with it.
Another issue is that high prices of sanitary items leave many girls unable to afford them. In August 2020, a Weibo user shared a screenshot of bulk sanitary napkins purchased online. The post prompted a wider discussion about how many girls in rural areas didn’t have access to these products, partly because of cost but also because of taboos.