Abstract
Menstrual leave is an employment policy that allows individuals to take additional
paid or unpaid leave from work during menstruation. In recent years, it has been
attracting increasing global media and public attention (Barnack-Tavlaris, Hansen, Levitt, & Reno, 2019). The motivation behind the promotion of the policy is typically benign, and it is often positioned as being a progressive development in women’s health and rights in the workplace (e.g. Melican & Mountford, 2017;
Shipley, 2016). This chapter argues that the rationale behind this policy makes
several exaggerated and incorrect assumptions about the nature, and prevalence of menstrual cycle-related symptoms in the working population. Moreover, menstrual leave policies could reflect, and contribute to, unhealthy and discriminatory practices against women in the workforce. Indeed, sex-specific employment policies such as menstrual leave can easily, albeit unintentionally, reinforce unhelpful and inaccurate societal myths that position ‘all women’ as weaker, less reliable, or more expensive employees than men (Mandel & Semyonov, 2005; Misra, Budig, & Moller, 2007). The chapter thus concludes that in order to support and improve menstrual health and gender equality in the workplace, it is better to focus on the working conditions and rights of all employees, plus access to good quality reproductive health information
and medical treatment, if required.
paid or unpaid leave from work during menstruation. In recent years, it has been
attracting increasing global media and public attention (Barnack-Tavlaris, Hansen, Levitt, & Reno, 2019). The motivation behind the promotion of the policy is typically benign, and it is often positioned as being a progressive development in women’s health and rights in the workplace (e.g. Melican & Mountford, 2017;
Shipley, 2016). This chapter argues that the rationale behind this policy makes
several exaggerated and incorrect assumptions about the nature, and prevalence of menstrual cycle-related symptoms in the working population. Moreover, menstrual leave policies could reflect, and contribute to, unhealthy and discriminatory practices against women in the workforce. Indeed, sex-specific employment policies such as menstrual leave can easily, albeit unintentionally, reinforce unhelpful and inaccurate societal myths that position ‘all women’ as weaker, less reliable, or more expensive employees than men (Mandel & Semyonov, 2005; Misra, Budig, & Moller, 2007). The chapter thus concludes that in order to support and improve menstrual health and gender equality in the workplace, it is better to focus on the working conditions and rights of all employees, plus access to good quality reproductive health information
and medical treatment, if required.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Aligning Perspectives in Gender Mainstreaming |
| Subtitle of host publication | Gender, Health, Safety, and Wellbeing |
| Editors | Juliet Hazzard, Luis D Torres |
| Publisher | Springer |
| Chapter | 9 |
| Pages | 151-176 |
| Number of pages | 25 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 978-3-030-53269-7 |
| ISBN (Print) | 978-3-030-53268-0 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 15 Jan 2021 |
Publication series
| Name | Aligning Perspectives on Health, Safety and Well-Being |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Springer Nature |
| Volume | 1 |
| ISSN (Print) | 2213-0497 |
Keywords
- Menstrual leave
- Policy analysis
- Evaluation
- Gender equality
- Workplace health
- Women's health
