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Menstrual leave: the law that could arrive in Spain

There Spain it could become the first Western country to have, by law, menstrual leave. They would be three days a month that women could use during their period. For now it is little more than a proposal, but if you think that the countries that already have this right are counted on less than two hands, it is already a good step towards a law for women (even if there are those who think that not is just one step ahead).

The other countries that currently guarantee menstrual leave are Japan (exists since the 1940s), South Korea, Indonesia and Zambia. Others are thinking about it, like Luxembourg.

The Spanish project is part of a broader package that concerns women, their rights and their health. There would also be free sanitary pads for girls in difficulty. L‘elimination of VAT, and new rules on termination of pregnancy that girls from 16 years of age could also apply without parental permission. Even in the event of an abortion, there would be dedicated leave days.

Ángela Rodríguez, minister for equality and against gender-based violence, explained the reasons that led to the presentation of this provision: «The rights related to menstrual health have never been discussed and this is already a given. Then there is the question of the cost of sanitary towels and how one in four women cannot afford them ».

Leave days are designed for women who suffer from dysmenorrhea, severe pain that can become debilitating with headache, fever, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, asthenia. For many women it is impossible to work or do any activity for a few days.

The reactions to proposals like this, which have also been advanced in other parts of the world, are opposite. On the one hand there are those who see them as a step forward towards one gender equality in the workplace, on the other hand, we consider them paternalistic measures.

It exists in Italy a 2016 bill who proposed three days of leave, recalling that 60 to 90% of women suffer during their menstrual cycle and this causes rates of 13 to 51% of absences from school and 5 to 15% of work. There are also petitions for laws like this. Similar measures have come from individual companies. Louis, a French company in the furniture sector, experiments for a year: in this case it will be enough to inform the contact person, without the need for medical certificates.

Other stories of Vanity Fair that may interest you:

– The taboos to be eliminated on the menstrual cycle to like yourself more as a woman

– Stop taboos: talk about menstruation!

Source: Vanity Fair

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