Should Offices Supply Tampons? A Guide to Helping Men Understand.
So this is targeted at the type of man who says to me things lie “Offices don’t pay for your hot water to shower (wrong. Lots of offices have showers) they don’t pay for our food (wrong. Many workplaces have subsidised food/canteens available) and they don’t launder our clothes (mostly true) so why should they pay for your tampons!”
This is targeted specifically at the type of man who may say this because he lacks the understanding or empathy for this experience. There may be women who also have this argument, but it will not be through lack of empathy to the experience because (most) women have periods so this analogy won’t help them.
So to you, sir, who says the above, or something like it. Offices not providing tampons, is not akin to them not providing clothes. It is more akin to this situation (and for this I would really like you, before responding with your well thought through argument, to REALLY try to imagine this being your life. Your everyday situation. Don’t just read this, but really try to put yourself in these shoes):
Your workplace is all male, and as such does not supply toilet paper. The argument is, that most men do not use toilet paper at the urinals, and that taking a dump should be done on your own time at home. If you want to take a dump at work, you must bring in your own toilet paper, as mostly people don’t need to, so why should the office pay for that luxury? So you plan your day around that. No massive deal, just go in the morning or when you get home right? Except you, in fact not only you, but ALL men at this workplace, once a month, every month, for a week, get sudden and explosive diarrhoea. It’s not counted as an illness though, and taking time off for it is scoffed at by higher ups who think you should just deal with it. Also you don’t know exactly when it’s coming, but you have a rough idea so you usually just make sure to bring in toilet paper for that week (also imagine in this world, that loo roll is a fiver a roll). However, the condition gives you unpleasant gas and makes the communal bathroom smell heinous, so you don’t want to advertise that it’s YOU having your brown-rag-week, because then everyone will know that smell in the bathroom this week was you. So you do your best to hide the toilet paper you’ve brought in, smuggle it into the loo with you, and also you can’t talk to anyone about the painful cramps and gas that come with it, so you just grin and bear it, pretend you’re ok. Everyone else manages, so you should too right? One day, it happens. It’s early. Your emergency stash of loo paper in your drawer has run out. You run to the loo to address the issue before it makes itself obvious through your pants. But now you’re trapped there... there’s no way of dealing with it availiable to you, you can only wait for someone to come in, and you ask them if they happen to have some loo roll you could use, hoping they are either by chance on the same diarrhoea cycle as you, or have some stashed. And if they don’t? Well.... too bad. You deal with it the best you can with what is availiable (very little) and either go back to work, feeling disgusting and gross, nervous some stains will leak through and make it obvious what’s happened, or you have to make some excuses and take the day off work, and all but waddle home to get the supplies your office has deemed a luxury.
Now imagine that women, who do not suffer this condition, when you suggest loo roll should be availiable at work, provide the same arguments to you, that you provide against tampons. That it’s a luxury that is not the responsibility of the office to provide, that you should plan for it better, that it’s disgusting why are you even talking about this?!, that it’s like the office washing your clothes for you.
This analogy is far closer to what being without availiable sanitary products at work is like. We don’t need them everyday. Most women will have their own preferences for sanitary products and will not RELY or SOLEY use any provided at work. But in an emergency? An unexpected situation? It can make a HUGE difference to our comfort, our hygiene, and our day.
Please try to understand and empathise with this situation, before saying that supplying us with basic sanitary products for emergencies is anywhere CLOSE to the luxury of a workplace washing your clothes for you.
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