Free sanitary pads are now available in university study buildings

From the beginning of this academic year, free menstrual pad dispensers for students have been installed in the university study buildings to ensure that hygiene products are always available when needed. A total of 39 dispensers have been placed in the buildings.

Research shows that initiatives aimed at improving access to sanitary pads can have a significant impact on learners’ wellbeing and their ability to participate in studies. In 2024, a bachelor’s thesis was defended at the University of Tartu based on data collected in 2022 from more than 1,000 young people from 19 general education schools across Estonia. The study found that 64% of the respondents had missed school, training sessions or other activities because of menstruation. Among the respondents, 26% had experienced difficulties obtaining menstrual products, and 73% had had to use alternative solutions when such products were unavailable. Notably, 94% of the young people in the survey felt that sanitary pads should be available free of charge in Estonian schools.

“These findings show that practical barriers related to menstruation affect a considerable number of learners. The University of Tartu’s initiative helps create a learning and working environment in which menstruation is not an obstacle to studying or participation in university life, and where menstrual pads are regarded as an everyday necessity, just like toilet paper, soap or hand dryers,” said Equality Officer Eveliis Padar.

The initiative originated from the student council of the Faculty of Science and Technology, where the issue of access to menstrual products was raised at the beginning of the previous academic year. One of the leaders of the initiative, Astrid Jõerand, a student of the Faculty of Science and Technology, said that for her, the most important principle is simple: menstruation should not interfere with attending university. “Students should not have to panic when their period starts unexpectedly or worry about where they can quickly find a pad. It should certainly not happen that a student has to leave a lecture or go home due to a lack of the products. When sanitary pads are available in toilets, the situation is much less stressful,” said Jõerand.

She is pleased that an idea that originated within the student council has become a practical solution that has brought about a positive change in the university. “It shows that students’ concerns and suggestions are heard and that their initiatives can make a difference. Sometimes a small and practical change like this can make someone’s study day considerably easier,” she added.

The sanitary pads provided by the dispensers are thin, with flexible wings, and suitable for normal menstrual flow. Menstrual pads are a universally suitable, easy-to-use solution that offers immediate relief. The dispensers are in the academic buildings at Ülikooli 16 and 18, Jakobi 2 and 5, Vanemuise 46, Riia 23 and 23b, Ravila 14a and 19, Nooruse 1, Ostwaldi 1, Liivi 2, Ujula 4 and Lossi 36.

The sanitary pad dispensers are regularly restocked by the university’s cleaning service partners.