Tartu university provides free period products to students
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Students at Estonia’s Tartu University can now access free menstrual products. The university installed 39 dispensers containing pads in its academic buildings, aiming to reduce absences and support student wellbeing.
The initiative responds to a student-led proposal originating in the natural and exact sciences student government. Students had previously identified a need for accessible period products on campus, wanting to remove a potential barrier to learning.
A 2024 bachelor’s thesis from Tartu University, based on data collected from over 1000 young people in 19 Estonian general education schools in 2022, revealed that 64% of respondents had missed school, training, or other activities due to menstruation. Twenty-six percent of respondents had difficulty obtaining menstrual products, and 73% had resorted to alternative solutions when products were unavailable. Ninety-four percent of those surveyed believed that pads should be freely available in Estonian schools.
University Equal Treatment Officer Eveliis Padar explained that the university wants to treat menstrual supplies as a natural necessity, like toilet paper. Student Astrid Jõerand, one of the initiative’s leaders, emphasized that students should not have to worry about finding pads while attending classes. The dispensers offer thin pads with flexible wings suitable for normal flow, and are located in buildings across campus including Ülikooli 16 and 18, Jakobi 2 and 5, and Vanemuise 46.
