'Sanitary pad scandal' exposes China's deep-rooted discrimination against women

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tanding up for their rights, millions of Chinese women have launched a major social media campaign against the quality and shrinking size of sanitary pads available in the country - an issue that has bothered them for long but was always swept under the carpet citing the long-held social taboos related to menstruation.

The so-called 'sanitary pad scandal' has gone viral on the Chinese social media platforms like Weibo, Red and Douyin with some videos generating over 200 million views.

Since last month, several feminist activists have taken to task major sanitary pad brands in China, accusing them of "exploiting loopholes" in the rules on the length of sanitary napkins in order to reduce costs and pursue higher profits while sacrificing the interests of consumers.

Their anger knew no bounds when some leading manufacturers responded with a "buy if you like" statement that eventually led to consumers taking to social media, calling for complete boycott of their products.

"The quality control of sanitary napkins is directly related to women's health and should not be neglected. The safety and quality demands of female consumers can only be effectively addressed if they are seen and raised more," reported China Youth Daily, the official newspaper of Communist Youth League of China.

While the state-run media is urging the sanitary napkin manufacturers to comprehensively improve the consumer experience and focus more on quality control, analysts reckon that the latest issue highlights Beijing's failure to eliminate discrimination against women since the last many decades.

In the past, Chinese social justice campaigners have been arrested and prosecuted for participating in various movements like MeToo and helping survivors of sexual violence.

Two years ago, the Chinese state-owned rail operator was severely criticised for not making available sanitary pads on board trains

"More than 340 million women aged 15 to 49 use sanitary napkins in China, with sales of such products worth around 98 billion yuan, or US$13.4 billion. Yet many mainland Chinese women don’t trust feminine care products that are made in China," Radio Free Asia reported on Monday.

The report mentioned that, spurred by reports of contaminated and discolored cotton filling in similar products made just across the border in mainland China, people are buying "large quantities" of sanitary towels and other feminine care items in various Hong Kong stores.

Interestingly, China is preparing to host the Global Leaders' Meeting on Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment in March, 2025.

The main focus of the 69th session will be on the review and appraisal of the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the outcomes of the 23rd special session of the General Assembly.

✔️ 'Sanitary pad scandal' exposes China's deep-rooted discrimination against women

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