The stigma around menstrual leave continues

Earlier this week I woke up with a terrible, vision blurring headache and cramps that had me folded over clutching my stomach. My first thought was I guess I’m about to start my period. My second thought was thank goodness its my day off work.

Two weeks ago, the UK Government debated, and swiftly rejected a petition that called for statutory paid menstrual leave.

On any given day around the world, 800 million people (women, girls, transgender men and non-binary people) menstruate. This means that a significant proportion of the working population are affected by periods, peri-menopause/menopause and female reproductive health issues surrounding menstrual health.

Menstruation varies from person to person, but it can induce both physical and psychological symptoms, such as cramping, bleeding, headaches, mood swings, increased anxiety - the list goes on. In a survey by Wellbeing of Women, 96% of women and girls between the ages of 16 and 40 have experienced period pain, with over half of them taking time off of work due to their periods.

What women want

The hormonal changes your body experiences during the menstrual cycle is difficult enough, and whilst working, can sometimes feel impossible. Women have been dealing with this since time immemorial, but what if there was a way to reduce the stress that some women face in the workplace when it comes to their periods?

According to the Wellbeing of Women survey, 74% of women and girls agree that flexible working should be granted to those experiencing menstrual symptoms (who want to take time off), and over 60% agreed that paid leave should be offered in the UK.

The Solution: Menstrual Leave

Paid and unpaid statutory menstrual leave is not a new phenomenon. The Japanese government implemented an unpaid menstrual leave policy in the 1940s. More recently, countries such as Spain, Portugal and Zambia have introduced different policies that enable women to take time (usually 1-3 days) off each month due to menstrual related issues.

Since 2015 in Zambia, every woman is entitled to 1 day off per month with no medical note required. Similar to this, Spain’s new legislation allows women with a doctors note to take 3-5 days of paid leave. In Portugal, a less flexible approach has been adopted where only those diagnosed with chronic conditions such as Endometriosis are allowed to take time off of work.

In the UK, over 100,000 people signed a petition to introduce statutory paid menstrual leave of up to 3 days per month for people with chronic conditions such as Endometriosis and Adenomyosis, reflecting a similar approach to Portugal.

The government concluded that it would not introduce menstrual leave legislation because they felt that the Equality Act of 2010 covered the issue. Essentially what the government was saying was that conditions like endometriosis qualify as a “disability” under the Act, and therefore no new legislation needed to be introduced as employers can decide whether or not to make “reasonable adjustments” to cater for this “disability”.

Retrofitting current legislation isn’t the answer

Just because something could fit under current legislation doesn’t mean it actually would.

I think that the Government’s recent ruling opens up an entirely new can of worms.

Just because something can fit under a certain umbrella, doesn’t mean that it necessarily would - or should.

The decision seems to be an academic one, that leans on the wording of the 2010 Act, rather than listening to the lived experiences of women in the UK. It is quite convenient for parliament to decide that these issues could be covered by a particular way of interpreting current legislation, rather than trying to develop something new.

1 in 10 women in the UK have endometriosis. But what about those who are undiagnosed?

Or those who suffer differently with less recognised health issues such as PMDD (Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder) which significantly impacts the lives of around 8% of women in the UK. PMDD, like Endometriosis, notoriously slips through the system and can take years to diagnose. Those who don’t have a diagnosis or are waiting for one are therefore excluded from the 2010 Act.

I believe that female experiences of menstruation, and these conditions, are disregarded under this notion that they are a “disability”.

Menstrual leave and menstrual stigma

The concept of menstrual leave is a highly debated topic in the realm of menstrual justice, and is often heavily criticised by those who aren’t seeking to implement it.

In India, the highest court has just rejected a menstrual leave petition, with the argument that “No-one will hire women” if they are able to take time off of work, and also voiced fears of the risk of enforcing gender stereotypes. Although Japan has had unpaid menstrual leave in place for almost 80 years, many women do not take it due to fears of sexual harassment and general menstrual stigma. Women also feel they would not be taken seriously if they took time off work for menstrual related issues.

In the UK, a survey suggests that over a third of men would be hesitant to promote someone who took time off for their period related symptoms, and further agreed that it is not reasonable to take time off of work, or work from home because of period pain.

These arguments all demonstrate the bigger picture, that stigma surrounding menstruation ignores the actual experiences of the 1.8 billion people menstruating each month. This is the underlying issue. The stigma surrounding menstruation needs to be dealt with, in order for women and those who menstruate to be taken seriously. It is clear that periods themselves aren’t the problem. It is society’s perception of periods that is.

Could it work?

In 2016, Coexist, a company in Bristol, became the first in the UK to introduce a “period policy”. This policy allowed female staff to take time off during their period and make up the time later, and aimed to work with their cycle, not against it.

This demonstrates a nice balance, where yes, someone may take some time off of work, but by making up the time later, it is not as if they are doing less work, they are simply balancing it to work at their best ability. Coexists aim was to increase productivity by allowing people to take time off when in pain from their menstrual phase, as you would take time off if you had toothache.

The director of the company at the time suggested it was very successful, and described how it was aimed at normalising menstrual health, thus eliminating the stigma surrounding it.

So, what needs to change around menstrual health?

Women having periods is not a secret - but the way that society responds to menstrual health is still deep-rooted in stigma.

The recent scope of the petition in the UK was perhaps too narrow, trying to define who “qualifies” for menstrual leave can reinforce stigma - singling out those with specific conditions which deserve respect and privacy whilst excluding many others who don’t have a specific label. Selecting which menstrual conditions qualify for leave is to ignore the underlying purpose of menstrual leave.

A broader, more inclusive approach, like that in Zambia and Spain may offer a much more effective and equitable path forward.

Menstrual health should not be framed as a limitation, yet the impact it has on daily life should not be ignored. Recognising this balance is essential. Taking time off to manage pain or discomfort should not be seen as a sign of weakness, rather as a response to a genuine health need. Future policies have to be able to reflect this reality and move beyond perceptions that dismiss menstrual health as trivial or exaggerated.

This being said, meaningful change needs both cultural and legal shifts. Menstrual leave should not be viewed as some sort of workplace benefit; it is part of a wider move towards menstrual justice and the recognition of gendered health disparities.

Meaningful change can only be made when women’s lived experiences are taken seriously.

For too long, women’s health has been marginalised. By addressing menstrual health openly and without stigma or gendered stereotypes is an essential step towards correcting the imbalance. This is not a distant or abstract issue. It is a present and pressing one.

If policy is to be representative and just, it needs to meet people where they are, and acknowledge the realities of their everyday lives. Menstrual leave policy is a step towards equality - but it must be promoted with empathy and inclusivity.

Good Form on lived experiences

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