Should workplaces provide statuary sick pay for periods?

This year Spain introduced menstrual leave by law, joining Japan, Taiwan, Indonesia, South Korea and Zambia. Here are my thoughts on why the UK should follow suit. Periodt.

That time of the month has come around again, and yes, I am talking about my period. For the many people who bleed once a month, or sometimes more regularly for those who, like me, are destined to wander the earth in search of a regular cycle, periods are a major source of worry and discomfort. Both physically and mentally, menstruation can take a huge toll on our day to day lives. In fact, I had to slam the breaks on writing this to instead, lie in complete darkness waiting for my monthly migraine to ease off (it didn’t, it never does, the only cure is sleep).

I suffer with averagely bad period symptoms. Sometimes my cramps come suddenly, they weaken my knees and cause my to curl over until one lucky colleague finds me squatting on the floor breathing like I should be in the presence of a midwife. Other times the pain is low level and only occasional if anything - nothing a trusty paracetamol can’t fix and allow me to go about my day like normal. The most terrible of my symptoms are my headaches. There have been occasions they are so bad I throw up. Aside from this, I know my hit and miss relationship with period pain and symptoms make me fortunate. There are many women who suffer severe pain every period. In a 2012 study on dysmenorrhea, that is, the medical term for painful periods “menstrual pain was reported by 84.1% of women, with 43.1% reporting that pain occurred during every period”.

A few months ago, there was a dinner party, oysters were consumed and I witnessed my boyfriend and his two flatmates suffer the worst case of food poisoning I’ve ever seen. I have no words to describe the horrors of that night. To this day I feel incredibly lucky - not eating those oysters is definitely in the running for best decision I’ve made in my life. A few weeks after oystergate, I was at my boyfriend’s place again. I could hear the kind of groans you’d expect to hear in a war film, and the memories of that rancid night came flooding back. Thankfully (I guess?) the sounds were caused by period cramps and not oysters. I remember overhearing the conversation, my boyfriend being so shocked that his flatmate described her period pain as worse than the night of food poisoning. Unbearable. To go to work with that case of food poisoning was out of the question, so if period pain is equally awful, if not worse, why are people expected to soldier on through a day suffering menstrual cramps?

Unfortunately for many jobs, employees must “take sick leave if they need time off work for menstrual pain. But as Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) is only paid on the fourth consecutive day of absence, shorter periods of absence will be unpaid” law firm, Clyde and Co reports. In what was praised a “historic day of progress for feminist rights” (Irene Montero, Spain’s Equality Minister), Spain became the first European country to introduce paid menstrual leave for 3 days. This is not the first time Europe has grappled with the idea of such a policy, however. In 2016, Italy proposed essentially the same bill, but it made no progression in two years, causing the proposal to fail in 2018 once the parliamentary term ran out.

There has been much debate in the proceeding years whether the passing of this law is liberating, a weight off the shoulders of those suffering with periods, or causing further stigma around women’s bodies, making them subject to discrimination. There has also been conversations questioning whether it is “tenable for the government to fund [paid menstrual leave]” in the UK, Gina Broadhurst, an independent business owner who suffered terrible periods told The Telegraph. She caveats that whilst potentially financially dangerous for small businesses, “larger employers could be better placed to introduce their own policies, as they are increasingly doing for menopause”. That is, if businesses pay directly from their own pocket to fund their employees absences. I see both sides of the coin here. The livelihood of businesses is important for the economy, and small businesses thriving is particularly important to communities and the market. But so are the lives of those suffering with period pain, and there is a mutual relationship between these factors: gynaecologist, Dr Susanna Unsworth comments that “menstruation affects everybody differently and for some their period can come with severe physical and mental symptoms. Not being able to take time off due to discomfort or having to lie to an employer can create stress and anxiety which can cause health to deteriorate further.” In fact, having time off could be more beneficial for employers, allowing their workers to be most productive when returning to work, having fully rested and recovered from the aftermath of a bad cycle. What’s more, jobs that require physical presence, those in the hospitality or retail industries for example, often require employees to be on their feet all day. Common symptoms such as headaches, nausea and fatigue - not to mention the unavoidable self-consciousness that comes with having a heavy flow when rushing around all shift - undoubtably decreases ones ability to work as effectively. Another vital issue to address is the stigma surrounding periods that make discussing the reality of experiencing them difficult (if not unthinkable) for sufferers - specifically in the context of the workplace. There have been multiple case studies of women who have felt that pain due to menstruation has not, or would not, be taken seriously by colleagues, management, and even doctors. One woman who tried to get to the bottom of why her periods were so painful was met with indifference from her GP, who palmed her off with over the counter medications that were not strong enough.

Considering this problem affects half the population every single month, surely it is something that warrants greater urgency in policy? I am a firm believer that ‘women’s rights’ embody the choices of each and every woman as an individual. When it comes to menstruation, anyone suffering with a period that makes working as usual unbearable, should have the freedom of choice - to choose if they need to take that time off work without the worry they may lose their job, or a day’s pay or the respect of their colleagues.