Spain is the first European country to launch a three-day holiday period. Few countries offer this possibility, but few women take advantage of it for fear of stigma.
Now many businesses in Australia are also considering going the way of Spain.
Why?;
Well, in early 2020, just three months after she had started work, Jessie, a 28-year-old editor in New York City, passed out at work. She knew her period would probably start that day and that she would probably be in some pain, but she needed to be in the office. She did not consider asking for time off, since «I just don't think [period] counts as sick.».
So when he started to feel severe abdominal cramps and back pain, he took ibuprofen and tried to continue working. But within 15 minutes he felt severe weakness. «Everything was a blur and I couldn't respond.» The working doctor sent her by ambulance to the hospital. For the company it would have cost much less to have simply stayed at home with menstrual leave.
Menstrual leave is something that exists in some countries. It allows workers experiencing painful menstrual or menopausal symptoms options for remote work and a set number of paid leave days each year, in addition to federal paid leave or statutory sick leave. The Soviet Union had introduced a national policy in 1922, Japan in 1947 and Indonesia in 1948.
However, it is still a rare phenomenon in many major global economies, including the US, where Jessie lives.
Australia is among the countries seriously considering its introduction. As the Australian job market has shrunk due to the pandemic, companies around the world are looking for ways to retain talent by offering various perks, and period leave is a desirable perk that can help female employees stay engaged.
The growing interest in menstruation is also linked to wider cultural changes around reproductive health that were underway before the pandemic, Mary Crooks, executive director of the Victorian Women's Trust, in Melbourne, tells the BBC.
For example, menstrual products are exempt from the country's Goods and Services Tax (GST) from January 2019. In addition, some government schools are providing free pads and tampons to reduce absenteeism among female students. And the federal government recently announced a $58 million national action plan to expand endometriosis treatment.
Crooks introduced 12 days of menstrual and menopause leave to its gender equality service in 2016, following a survey of around 3,500 people with periods in the previous year, which showed that the number one concern for respondents (58%) was finding time to rest.
