Should women be given menstruation leave?

PIC: Grudzinskas, a leading international figure in the field of Reproductive Medicine, Surgery and Obstetrics, explains that some women feel really grotty when menstruating

Women who suffer from period pains and feel under the weather each month should get paid leave, a leading doctor has suggested.

Prof Gedis Grudzinskas, professor of obstetrics and gynaecology St Bartholomew's Hospital in London, believes 'menstrual leave' would boost women's motivation and productivity.

Menstrual leave is already  legal in Japan and Indonesia, is being discussed in Canada but was thrown out of Russian parliament.

Grudzinskas, a leading international figure in the field of Reproductive Medicine, Surgery and Obstetrics, explains that some women feel really grotty when menstruating. Coming into work is a struggle and they feel lousy.

"When you feel like that, it's harder to take pride in your work or perform as well. This is about employers being sensible and aware," he said.

Like maternity leave, he proposes the menstrual leave should not interfere with career progression or structure.

Writing in the journal Health Care for Women International, Alice J. Dan, of the University of Illinois, explains that menstruation leave first emerged as an issue in the 1920s and 1930s when employed women were mostly young, and working conditions for them were difficult.

"The lack of adequate sanitary facilities and materials made management of menstruation especially difficult for factory and transportation workers," she said.

As a result, it was bus conductors and textile workers who were among the first workers to request menstruation leave.

In Japan, legislation passed in 1947 permitted leave for any woman who 'suffered heavily' with menstruation or the work was 'injurious to her body during menstruation'.

Taiwan's current menstrual leave legislation guarantees female workers three days of menstrual leave a year, in addition to the 30 days of half-paid sick leave allotted to all workers.

Indonesian women are entitled to take two days a month of menstrual leave, though many companies simply ignore the law, and others have even been accused of forcing women to 'prove' their need for time off, some reports have claimed.

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