Scotland and period poverty: A case study of media and political agenda-setting

Abstract

Grassroots-led global social movements have become increasingly prominent on mainstream media and political agendas. In Scotland, several of these have resulted in significant policy change, including the period poverty movement, which addresses inequalities relating to menstruation. This chapter looks to this movement as a case study, showing how several interventions have led the country to be hailed a world leader in policies providing free access to menstrual products. It will analyze the conditions under which this movement first took hold in Scotland in 2016, moving chronologically from the first mention of the term ‘period poverty’ in legacy media. It will show how the increasing visibility and discursive realization, or crystallization, of the term itself fueled further activism to influence the political agenda. In doing so, it will show the increasingly hybrid and circuitous dynamic of contemporary political communication and how taking a holistic approach to viewing this may give added insight to appraisals of media and political agenda setting.

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