Spain could become the first Western country to allow women to take several days of "menstrual leave" from the workplace each month under new proposed legislation to be outlined next week.
The Spanish government is expected to approve the measure as part of a broader draft bill on reproductive health and abortion rights, details of which are expected to be disclosed on Tuesday, according to national media.
The proposed law would introduce at least three sick days each month for women who suffer from severe period pains, according to El Pais newspaper.
The newspaper reports that this "medically supervised leave" could even be extended to five days for women with disabling periods who suffer severe cramps, nausea, dizziness and vomiting.
Worldwide, menstrual leave is currently offered only in a small number of countries including Japan, Taiwan, Indonesia, South Korea and Zambia.
We are not talking about a slight discomfort, but about serious symptoms such as diarrhoea, severe headaches, fever Ángela Rodríguez Spanish Secretary of State for Equality
According to the Spanish Gynaecology and Obstetrics Society, around a third of women who menstruate suffer from severe pain known as dysmenorrhea.
Symptoms include acute abdominal pain, diarrhoea, headaches and fever.
"When the problem cannot be solved medically, we think it is very sensible that there should be temporary incapacity associated with this issue," Ángela Rodríguez, Spain’s Secretary of State for Equality and against Gender Violence, told El Periodico newspaper in a recent interview.
"It is important to clarify what a painful period is, we are not talking about a slight discomfort, but about serious symptoms such as diarrhoea, severe headaches, fever," she added.
This proposal for a period leave is not a done deal and has been causing some controversy in Spain.
The country's left-wing coalition government itself is reportedly divided over the plan. While the far-left Podemos is pushing for it, some Socialists have voiced concern a menstrual leave could backfire against women by discouraging employers from hiring them.
Cristina Antoñanzas, deputy secretary of the UGT, a leading Spanish trade union, even warned that the move could "stigmatise women".
"We believe that this issue is complex and is not being adequately addressed," she said, calling for "women to be considered workers with the same rights as men".
In a statement to the news agency Europa Press on Thursday, Economy Minister Nadia Calviño, a Socialist, said that several drafts of the plan were still under discussion.
"Let me repeat it very clearly, this government believes in and is absolutely committed to gender equality and we will never adopt measures that could result in the stigmatisation of women", Calviño said.
The draft law would also lower VAT on feminine hygiene products in shops and make period products available for free in schools and educational centres.
According to El Pais, it would make menstrual health part of Spaniards’ right to health, and it specifies that "stereotypes and myths about menstruation that still exist and that hinder women's lives will be combated".
The health bill would also guarantee the right to seek an abortion for free in the country’s public healthcare system and scrap the requirement for 16 and 17-year-olds to obtain parental consent for the procedure.
prinz_Eugen_sama on May 12nd, 2022 at 16:25 UTC »
A genuine question, isn't this a net negative for the female population? For there to be days where you are given leave due to a bodily function, on some level there is an acknowledgement that women are physically unable to do their job due to menstruation. Understanding this, if you go up the ladder to the more important/responsible positions, why would employers hire a person who won't be able to do their job for almost a week at a time every month? For a job that is vital and required 24/7 attention, wouldn't this be a hindrance?
MoobooMagoo on May 12nd, 2022 at 13:34 UTC »
It seems like it would be more efficient to just give people days off for whatever they need rather than make it specific to one thing.
Four_beastlings on May 12nd, 2022 at 13:26 UTC »
Since no one seems to have any idea what they're talking about, sick days in Spain are unlimited and paid for by the government. Anyone who has periods bad enough that they can't work can get them off sick currently (and they already do, as I've seen many times with my coworkers). I guess the law just makes it easier since until now you had to physically go to the doctor to get the doctor's note, which no one in terrible pain wants.