(ETX Daily Up) – Still under debate in France, menstrual leave has already been incorporated into the labor laws of six countries around the world. But what does this mean concretely? And under what conditions can the women concerned be absent from work in the event of painful periods? On the occasion of World Menstrual Hygiene Day, which will be held on May 28, an overview of the countries that already grant menstrual leave, paid or unpaid, to women suffering from painful periods.
A phenomenon as normal as it is natural, menstruation, in other words menstruation, has long been considered a taboo subject. It was only in June 2022 that the World Health Organization (WHO) called for “menstrual health to be recognized, framed and treated as a matter of health and human rights, and not as a hygiene issue. A big step for women, who now see this problem addressed in a new light, and particularly in the context of work, because of the impact of painful periods on physical and mental health.
In 2021, a study carried out by Ifop* for Intimina revealed that nearly one woman in two suffers from painful periods, and more than eight out of ten claim to experience psychological inconveniences such as fatigue, irritability , and or a feeling of ill-being towards their body. Factors that can be socially and professionally excluding, as shown by a more recent survey** conducted in the UK, also by the Intimina brand, indicating that a significant proportion of British women have already felt the need to take time off to deal with painful periods. Still not integrated into the labor code, whether in France or the United Kingdom, menstrual leave is nevertheless already in place in several countries. Overview.
Asia, one step ahead
“Seiri kyuka”, meaning menstrual leave in Japanese, was introduced into the labor code of the land of the rising sun in 1947, so just 76 years ago. It will be understood that Japan is a pioneer in this area, especially since this device was demanded by the unions since the 1920s, but nothing obliges Japanese companies to remunerate this leave. The latter must only respect the requests of women for whom work is particularly difficult during periods of menstruation. In fact, only 30% of companies offer full or partial reimbursement of this leave, according to a study carried out in 2020 by the Japanese Ministry of Labor among 6,000 companies, relayed by AFP. And only 0.9% of women who could obtain this leave said they had taken it. A more recent survey, this time carried out in 2021 by Nikkei BP Intelligence Group among 1,956 working women aged 18 to 49, revealed that less than 10% of respondents took this menstrual leave, and that more than half of them reported a “lack of understanding of menstruation in their workplace”.
Indonesia is the second country to introduce menstrual leave into its labor code, in 1948, but the law was changed just twenty years ago. According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), working women “are entitled to two days of paid leave for the first and second day of their menstrual cycle”. But in practice, Indonesian women have to negotiate these days off, which actually depends on each company. “Many employers only grant one day per month, others do not grant any menstrual leave,” says the ILO. In South Korea, article 71 of the ‘Korea Labor Standards Law’ stipulates that employed women can take one day of menstrual leave per month. “This article came into effect in 2001, but many female employees still don’t know what it means,” The Korea Times reported in 2012. It should also be noted that this leave is unpaid. In Taiwan, the 2014 Act of Gender Equality in Employment grants women three days of menstrual leave per year, which are not deducted from ‘classic’ sick leave. Beyond three days, they are “counted in sick leave days”. The employees concerned, however, only receive 50% of their salary.
Africa and Europe lagging behind
Zambia is a pioneer in Africa when it comes to menstrual leave. Since 2015, the country has allowed women to take an additional day off per month in the event of painful periods, without the need to provide a medical certificate or notice. To date, Zambia remains the only African country to offer such a device. And this is also the case in Europe with Spain, which in February 2023 adopted a bill to introduce menstrual leave to allow women to cope with painful periods. To date, the duration of the leave has not been confirmed, but it will be covered by social security. This is a European first which could pave the way for the implementation of other systems of this type elsewhere on the Old Continent, such as in France, for example, where the subject is currently being debated.
It is important to note that if these six countries are currently the only ones to have introduced menstrual leave in their labor code, companies around the world have chosen to grant this specific leave to their employees. In France, this was the case from 2021 with the Montpellier company La Collective, recently joined by the retail giant Carrefour, which does not offer menstrual leave strictly speaking but additional leave for women suffering from endometriosis. Saint-Ouen, for its part, became the first French city last March to introduce menstrual leave for its agents. “This leave is for women suffering from painful and incapacitating menstruation as well as endometriosis,” said Karim Bouamrane, the mayor of the city.
*The study was carried out online, between April 17 and 28, 2021, with a sample of 1,010 women, representative of the French female population aged 15 to 49.
**The survey was conducted by Censuswide in March 2023 among 1,017 women in the UK.