Men must pay for toilet paper

The discussion is red-hot. In Switzerland, too. The SP Lucerne, for example, is calling for hygiene products to be offered free of charge to women in public institutions in the canton of Lucerne. (Article 20 minutes). Already in the canton of Bern, the demand for free tampons and pads arose last year and was sunk by the government council. What has long been standard practice in New York and countries like Scotland is out of the question in wealthy Switzerland: Where would we end up if we made everything that is part of basic hygienic needs accessible free of charge in public facilities?

While everything that men need to get through the day cleanly is still available almost everywhere free of charge - toilets, toilet paper, soap, water - women are required to pay for their basic hygienic needs themselves. This costs money - over 21,000 Swiss francs per woman's lifetime - but is really none of the other sexes' business.

20 minutes threw the issue to the comment-happy readership and received unequivocal feedback: Proposal rejected, file closed. As usual, the arguments are differentiated. Michi81, for example, says: "These women should be sterilized, then they won't need tampons anymore." Not quite (Google helps)but well roared, Michi81.

20 minutes also ran a poll. Of over 6,700 readers, 18 percent were of the following opinion: "No, because this is really a matter for women. This is in complete contrast to toilet paper."

For the creatives of the U.S. agency Huge, this line of reasoning is likely to cause a frown at best. They have implemented a campaign for the NGO Period, which fights for the destigmatization and de-tabooization of the period. The thought-provoking idea: what if men had to pay in return for something they also can't get past in public facilities for natural and hygienic reasons? The toilet paper machine was born, which only ejects sheets if you feed it with coins. Or if you send a tweet on the subject.