Spain To Declare 3-Day Menstrual Leave for Women
Making it the first European country to do so.
In Spain, women who menstruate and experience severe period pain will possibly be allowed to take a leave from work of three days each month. A reform plan set to be approved by the country’s government sometime next week will set the law in motion.
About a third of menstruating women experience severe pain called dysmenorrhea, according to the Spanish Gynecology and Obstetrics Society, further supporting the proposed law. “If someone has an illness with such symptoms a temporary disability is granted, so the same should happen with menstruation — allowing a woman with a very painful period to stay at home,” the secretary of state for equality, Ángela Rodríguez, told El Periodico newspaper.
Rodríguez believes giving women this option will make a difference. “While the problem cannot be solved medically, we think it is very sensible that there should be temporary incapacity associated with this issue,” Rodríguez added. “It is important to clarify what a painful period is, we are not talking about a slight discomfort, but about serious symptoms such as diarrhea, severe headaches, fever.”
If the proposed law gets passed, it could help normalize menstrual leave in the workforce and possibly inspire other countries to follow.
Stay tuned for updates.
