“While we don’t fully understand what women go through, we need to trust them when they say they need to rest this out.” – Deepinder Goyal, Zomato CEO
“Menstruation is not a handicap, no need for ‘paid leave’ policy.”
– Smriti Irani, Central Government Minister
Sanitary napkins discreetly wrapped in black plastic. Restrictions from entering the kitchen or prayer room. Whispering “I am not feeling well” during “those” days.
These are some ways in which our society has made menstruation a stigma. The taboo surrounding menstruation has become a deep-rooted issue in our society, which requires attention and change.
In India, legislation regarding menstrual leave was discussed as early as 1992 in the State of Bihar. Bihar’s government provided two-day leave every month to the women employees of the State Government. More recently, in 2023, Kerala issued an order to provide menstrual leave in state-run higher educational institutions. Companies like CultureMachine, Swiggy, Zomato, and many others have jumped onto this bandwagon too.
With this issue tabled in the Parliament, debates around menstrual leave have become the rage. Some say it is a step towards women’s empowerment, while others disagree saying that it would hamper gender equality.
Navigating the Debate: Menstrual Leave – To have or not to have?
Menstrual symptoms are not just restricted to cramps. They can include headaches, mood swings, tiredness, and more. Working on these days can significantly affect the employee’s productivity. According to a study published in the Journal of Mental Health, menstrual symptoms can lead to emotional distress, anxiety, and depression, affecting both personal and professional lives. Therefore, addressing these issues through menstrual leave could potentially enhance the psychological well-being of female employees.
Providing period leave can be seen as an organization’s sensitivity towards the issues of its female employees. It can also be viewed as a way to eliminate the taboo surrounding menstruation and open up constructive conversations on the topic. But at the same time, this can turn out to be a paradox. It could further increase the stigma faced by women in their workspaces. With concerns like the motherhood penalty (maternity leave) and period leave, companies might believe that women are not committed to their careers as much as men. This leads to women working harder than required to prove their worth.
There is a concern that menstrual leave would be misused by women to carry out other responsibilities and turn counterproductive.
“These leaves should only be availed if you are unable to attend to work. Do not abuse these leaves or use them as a crutch to take time out for other pending tasks.”. This statement was shared on the blog page of a famous food-delivery company which took the initiative of providing period leave to its employees. Women can be provided with the benefit of the doubt in such situations instead of anticipating the ability to work.
Even if such a policy is implemented by a company, laws regarding holidays can interfere. Different states have different laws under the “Shops & Establishments Act” which determines the type and number of leaves given to employees. Even with the same number of period leaves in a year, female employees across the state can have a variation in the number of sick leaves and menstrual leaves they can take.
Beyond Gender Lines: Unveiling Perspectives of Women and Men on Period Leaves
The comment on menstrual leave by a famous Central Government minister asking “Why should a woman’s menstrual cycle be known to her employer” sparked a debate on this topic.
The first perspective is that there is no need for menstrual leave as it can be taken from the available sick leaves. There are concerns that when a woman employee has to apply for period leave in her office, it would create an uncomfortable situation because everyone in the office would know about her menstrual cycle.
A survey conducted by the All India Progressive Women’s Association (AIPWA) found that nearly half of working women reported facing discrimination because they had asked for menstrual leave.
Mama Earth co-founder Ghazal Alagh has put forth her concerns with the remark “We have fought for centuries for equal opportunities and women’s rights, and now, fighting for period leave might set back the hard-earned equality,”.She has also provided another solution of working from home for those in pain.
Women believe that menstruation and leave can be used to reinforce patriarchal notions and biological essentialism to marginalize women. They are quite hesitant to use their period leave, as it would lead to discrimination and stigmatization in the workplace. A government employee from Bihar states that this could be used as an excuse for male employees to pass sexist comments without any repercussions. Taking such leaves also forces women to be at the top of their game and prove their commitment to work, balancing both professional demands and personal responsibilities.
When Zomato’s CEO Deepinder Singh provided 10 days per annum leave to his women employees, support and praise poured in from all corners of the country. But do all men in the workforce hold a positive view towards menstrual leave?
It has been observed that some male supervisors and managers are prejudiced that women might misuse the policy and use the leave for personal purposes. They are also unaware of the gender bias that might occur when a woman takes period leave. There are concerns that male superiors would prioritise women who don’t take such leaves and perceive them to be tougher.
However, there is an increase in men who empathise with the opposite gender and try to be more supportive during these times. While some senior women in management are sceptical and might view the usage of this leave as an excuse to avoid work, men perceive menstruation to be more painful and deteriorating.
Though there are men who present a negative attitude towards menstruation and period leave, there are many men who are becoming more open to understanding the experiences of menstruation. They view women as an important part of a gender-diverse workforce.
There is also a debate on how fair it is to men to create a leave policy like this.
Conclusion
With the Menstruation Benefits Bill of 2018 yet to receive assent, the talk about menstruation leave is here to stay. While many women may have a favourable opinion towards menstrual leave, men do seem to have doubts about its implementation, practicality, and fairness. There are diverse opinions about this topic affecting work culture. What are your opinions about menstrual leave? Do you think it is essential to bolster the gender dynamics and women’s empowerment or do you think it further stigmatises women and is unfair to men at workspaces?
