Sanitary Pads Are a Hot Item in Cuba

Women’s hygiene products have rarely been a big priority

By Juan Diego Rodríguez (14ymedio)

HAVANA TIMES – The long line that gathered this Thursday morning on Galiano Street was swelled by women and men, young and old, despite the fact that the product being sold had a more restricted audience. There, at a small kiosk a few meters from the Teatro America, packages of sanitary pads were being sold for 50 pesos ($2 at the official exchange rate).

The line was long, so several people, in anticipation, brought their own seats from home, something increasingly common among those who wait in front of shops to be able to bring home the basic necessities. Among them, what appeared to be a complete family stood out.

The sale of sanitary pads in the small establishment had not ended when in some windows and doors near the kiosk the resale of the same packages was already observed. Only three times more expensive, at 150 pesos.

The sale of sanitary pads in the network of stores that accept payment in Cuban pesos is practically non-existent. To acquire them, women must go to the illicit market or US dollar stores, in both cases at exorbitant prices.

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