The Politics and History of Menstruation: Contextualising the Scottish Campaign to End Period Poverty hero image.
The Politics and History of Menstruation: Contextualising the Scottish Campaign to End Period Poverty
In 2021, Scotland became the first country in the world to make universal access to free period products a legal right. This has attracted extraordinary attention internationally, positioning Scotland as a leader on menstrual policy. Yet, little is known about why Scotland has been able to take on this role, and why at this historical moment of watershed change in many practices and policies surrounding menstruation, including sustainable period products, transgender menstruation, workplace menopause, tracking apps, menstrual disorders.

This special collection tracks the roots of the current developments through the history of politics, activism, medicine, public health, the arts and education around menstruation in Scotland and transnationally. It is the first collection to analyse and contextualise Scottish menstrual policy. Using archives, interviews, and case studies from other countries and historical periods, our collection poses the question: Why Scotland? Why menstrual rights? Why now?

Editors:
Bettina Bildhauer: University of St Andrews
Camilla Røstvik: University of Leeds
Sharra Vostral: Purdue University, USA


Featured image: Matriline by Bibo Keeley, digital image, 2016


The Politics and History of Menstruation: Contextualising the Scottish Campaign to End Period Poverty

Introduction: The Period Products (Free Provision) (Scotland) Act 2021 in the Context of Menstrual Politics and History
Introduction: The Period Products (Free Provision) (Scotland) Act 2021 in the Context of Menstrual Politics and History

Bettina Bildhauer, Camilla Mork Røstvik and Sharra L Vostral

2022-05-19 Volume 8 • Issue 1 • 2022

Also a part of:

Special Collection: The Politics and History of Menstruation: Contextualising the Scottish Campaign to End Period Poverty

Uniting the Nation through Transcending Menstrual Blood: The Period Products Act in Historical Perspective
Uniting the Nation through Transcending Menstrual Blood: The Period Products Act in Historical Perspective

Bettina Bildhauer

2021-12-22 Volume 7 • Issue 2 • 2021

Also a part of:

Special Collection: The Politics and History of Menstruation: Contextualising the Scottish Campaign to End Period Poverty

Researching the Researchers: The Impact of Menstrual Stigma on the Study of Menstruation
Researching the Researchers: The Impact of Menstrual Stigma on the Study of Menstruation

Lara Owen

2022-02-12 Volume 8 • Issue 1 • 2022

Also a part of:

Special Collection: The Politics and History of Menstruation: Contextualising the Scottish Campaign to End Period Poverty

The Red Gown: Reflections on the In/Visibility of Menstruation in Scotland
The Red Gown: Reflections on the In/Visibility of Menstruation in Scotland

Camilla Mørk Røstvik, Bee Hughes and Catherine Spencer

2022-03-03 Volume 8 • Issue 1 • 2022

Also a part of:

Special Collection: The Politics and History of Menstruation: Contextualising the Scottish Campaign to End Period Poverty

‘A Crisis of Transition’: Menstruation and the Psychiatrisation of the Female Lifecycle in 19th-Century Edinburgh
‘A Crisis of Transition’: Menstruation and the Psychiatrisation of the Female Lifecycle in 19th-Century Edinburgh

Jessica Campbell and Gayle Davis

2022-03-28 Volume 8 • Issue 1 • 2022

Also a part of:

Special Collection: The Politics and History of Menstruation: Contextualising the Scottish Campaign to End Period Poverty

‘Responsible Body’: Menstrual Education Films and Sex Education in the United States and Scotland, 1970s–1980s
‘Responsible Body’: Menstrual Education Films and Sex Education in the United States and Scotland, 1970s–1980s

Saniya Lee Ghanoui

2022-08-03 Volume 8 • Issue 2 • 2022

Also a part of:

Special Collection: The Politics and History of Menstruation: Contextualising the Scottish Campaign to End Period Poverty

Access to Menstrual Resources as a Public Health Issue in the US and Scotland
Access to Menstrual Resources as a Public Health Issue in the US and Scotland

Noelle Elizabeth Spencer

2022-08-19 Volume 8 • Issue 2 • 2022

Also a part of:

Special Collection: The Politics and History of Menstruation: Contextualising the Scottish Campaign to End Period Poverty

Periods and the Menstrualscape: Menstrual Products and Menstrual Manifestations in Scotland, 1870–2020
Periods and the Menstrualscape: Menstrual Products and Menstrual Manifestations in Scotland, 1870–2020

Sharra L Vostral

2022-08-19 Volume 8 • Issue 2 • 2022

Also a part of:

Special Collection: The Politics and History of Menstruation: Contextualising the Scottish Campaign to End Period Poverty

Briefing Paper: Assessing the Period Products (Free Provision) (Scotland) Act 2021 as Model Menstruation Legislation
Briefing Paper: Assessing the Period Products (Free Provision) (Scotland) Act 2021 as Model Menstruation Legislation

Bettina Bildhauer, Camilla Mork Røstvik and Sharra L Vostral

2022-08-22 Volume 8 • Issue 2 • 2022

Also a part of:

Special Collection: The Politics and History of Menstruation: Contextualising the Scottish Campaign to End Period Poverty

Changing Menstrual Habits in Late 20th- and Early 21st-Century Russia
Changing Menstrual Habits in Late 20th- and Early 21st-Century Russia

Pavel Vasilyev and Alexandra Konovalova

2023-02-06 Volume 9 • Issue 1 • 2023

Also a part of:

Special Collection: The Politics and History of Menstruation: Contextualising the Scottish Campaign to End Period Poverty

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Special Collections