TAIPEI, TAIWAN — The subpar quality of sanitary pads has triggered a heated debate in China recently, with women speaking out online and raising concerns about what they say are loose government regulations and subpar manufacturing of the product that is a necessity for hundreds of millions of women in the massive country.
On social media platforms some have dubbed the uproar “Sanitary Pad Chaos” as they have focused on alleged false advertising about the size of pads, as well as concerns that a contaminated material known as "black cotton" is being used in sanitary napkins.
Lax regulatory standards
On China’s microblogging social media platform Weibo, the topic "Sanitary Pad Scandal" was one of many to go viral in recent weeks, with the topic garnering upwards of 170 million views.
One microblogger on Weibo from the southeastern province of Fujian pointed to the problem of lax business regulations.
“The business environment for women’s products in China has become excessively lenient, leading to unchecked practices in product development, quality, and public relations,” the post said.
Another from Jilin, in China’s northeast, argued that the sanitary pad industry is a lucrative industry with low costs and high demand. In many cases, products are often marketed under the guise of promoting female independence, the microblogger said.
Amid the controversy, a customer service representative for the well-known sanitary pad brand ABC drew backlash for suggesting dissatisfied customers should simply stop buying the products. In response, the founder of ABC, Deng Jingheng, later issued a public apology on November 22.
Insect infestations
When reports about concerns with sanitary pads began circulating on social media earlier last month, many female consumers in China began examining the products they use more closely and posting their findings online.
Concerns that surfaced online ranged from the use of substandard cotton to health-threatening levels of chemical contamination. Chinese media reports have highlighted cases where consumers have found foreign objects like needles and insect eggs in sanitary pads, further raising public anxiety.
The Chinese government has not responded to the controversy. Some state media outlets have reported on the topic, noting the need to update national standards and condemning manufacturers.
Sanitary pads sold in the Chinese market are regulated by two standards.
The first one is the Recommended National Standard issued on July 1, 2019, which covers product specifications such as length deviations, absorption capacity, and pH levels.
It also includes guidelines for packaging and labeling requirements.
Another regulation standard is the Mandatory National Standard issued on Sept. 1, 2002. This standard focuses on hygiene conditions during production, including sterilization requirements. Toxicological testing also is carried out to ensure product safety.
Despite the standards, critics argue that their leniency allows room for non-compliance, fueling distrust among consumers and highlighting the need for stricter regulations and enforcement.
For example, the recommended national standard allows sanitary pads to deviate in length by 4%.
State-backed online news site The Paper tested 24 different brands and found that 21 of them were at least a centimeter shorter than advertised. That is still within the permitted range but surprising that so many were smaller than advertised.
Suppression of feminism
The uproar over sanitary pads is but the latest in recent years to highlight concern among women over their status in society and the suppression of feminism in China, some argue.
“The sanitary pad incident and the strong reactions from women largely reflect the profound oppression and gender inequality faced by women under the rule of the Chinese Communist Party,” said Mengxing Ren, a young female member of the China Democracy Party, who relocated from China last year to Los Angeles.
“Through years of governance, the regime has systematically neglected women's basic needs and rights, embedding gender discrimination deeply within the social and economic structures.”
Fang, a 35-year-old office worker from Shanghai who was unwilling to disclose her full name citing security concerns, said she doesn’t expect authorities to do much in response to the uproar.
Fang said that when public discontent reaches a certain level, local government agencies typically issue statements in white text with a blue background to highlight the seriousness of the issue and then claim they are "conducting thorough investigations" or promising "punishments after verification."
When asked whether she believed that sanitary pad manufacturers should bear responsibility, another woman surnamed Chen, a 30-year-old who lives in Hangzhou, also voiced her frustration.
“It’s only when public opinion grows louder that brands, distributors, or even government regulatory agencies will come forward to apologize,” she said.
When asked by VOA whether there are connections or ironies drawn between this latest sanitary pad controversy and China's attempt to encourage women to have more children, Ren said many women face not only economic pressures and barriers to career advancement but are often forced to make difficult choices between childbirth and personal development.
“The sanitary pad issue is a microcosm of this predicament, reflecting the status of women within the nation's population,” she said. “It highlights a dual policy dilemma: on the one hand, women are expected to bear children, yet on the other, they encounter unfair treatment even in meeting basic living needs.”