The alleged ‘sanitary pad scam’ that surfaced in China is causing a lot of criticism!

Sanitary Pad Scandal in China: Millions of Chinese women have launched a massive social media campaign against the declining size and quality of sanitary pads available in their country. The discussion about the so-called ‘sanitary pad scandal’ on Chinese social media platforms like Weibo, Red and Douyin is not stopping. Some videos related to this have achieved more than 200 million views.

Truth about sanitary pad brands

Over the past few months, many feminist activists have accused China’s major sanitary pad brands of “exploiting loopholes in sanitary napkin length regulations to cut costs and make more profits.”

Producer accused of arbitrariness

The anger of the workers reached its peak when some big manufacturers made the statement ‘buy if you like’. After which the consumer appealed on social media for a complete boycott of their product.

‘Playing with women’s health’

“The quality control of sanitary napkins is directly related to women’s health and should not be ignored,” said China Youth Daily, the official newspaper of China’s Communist Youth League. The safety and quality demands of women consumers can be effectively addressed only when they are taken care of and taken up further.”

Government media is urging sanitary napkin manufacturers to drastically improve consumer experience and focus more on quality control. Analysts believe the latest case highlights Beijing’s failure to end discrimination against women over the past several decades.

In the past, Chinese social justice campaigners have been arrested and prosecuted for participating in various movements such as ‘Me Too’ and helping victims of sexual violence. Two years ago, China’s state-owned rail operator was strongly criticized for not providing sanitary pads on trains.

More than 340 million women aged 15 to 49 in China use sanitary napkins, and sales of such products amount to about 98 billion yuan, or US$13.4 billion, Radio Free Asia reported on Monday. Yet many mainland Chinese women do not trust feminine care products made in their country.

Interestingly, China is preparing to host a meeting of global leaders on gender equality and women empowerment in March 2025. The main focus of the 69th session will be on the review and assessment of the implementation of the ‘Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action’ as well as the outcome of the 23rd special session of the General Assembly.