Menstrual Leave: Good Intention, Poor Solution

King, Sally

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-53269-7_9

Cited by 8 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Spain's pioneering role in the European context for legislating menstrual leave has sparked a significant social discourse, with various perspectives both endorsing and opposing this policy, echoing debates from nations with established menstrual leave practices [12,23,24]. While recognizing menstrual leave represents progress for those who suffer from debilitating menstrual pain affecting their work capacity, it simultaneously brings to the fore concerns about reinforcing gender biases, potentially casting women as less productive in the workplace [25,26].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of menstrual pain and symptoms on activities of daily living and work absenteeism: a cross-sectional study

Leon-Larios,

Silva-Reus,

Puente Martínez

et al. 2024

Reprod Health

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Objective To examine the prevalence of menstrual pain among women of reproductive age and its impact on their daily lives and professional responsibilities. Methods A cross-sectional and descriptive study was conducted in July and August 2022. Phone interviews were carried out using a random system to select women aged between 15 and 49 years old. The questionnaire included sociodemographic variables, contraception method used, characteristics of the menstrual pattern (pain and bleeding amount), its influence on their working life, and if they would need to resort to sick leaves due to the impairments arising from the menstrual symptoms. Results A total of 1800 women representative of the Spanish population took part in this study. 72.6% of them report menstrual pain, with 45.9% requiring medication. 35.9% identify their menstrual bleeding as intense or very intense. 38.8% assert that menstrual discomforts affect their everyday life. 34.3% would have required not attending their work activities or having requested sick leave due to the discomforts, although only 17.3% of the women finally requested so, mainly because 58.4% considered that it might imply consequences in their professional environment, especially those with Higher Education. The women who report more discomfort are the youngest ones and those who resort to condoms as a contraceptive method (p < 0.001). Conclusions Menstrual pain is a prevalent problem among women of reproductive age and can affect their everyday life and professional environment, requiring work leaves on some occasions.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of menstrual pain and symptoms on activities of daily living and work absenteeism: a cross-sectional study

Leon-Larios,

Silva-Reus,

Puente Martínez

et al. 2024

Reprod Health

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show abstract

“…The fact that Spain is the rst European country in recognizing menstrual leave has given rise to a social debate, with arguments both in favour and against this leave option, as already re ected in countries where this type of leave has been in force for many years [12,24,25]. Although menstrual leave can be considered an advance for the women that experience menstrual pain precluding them from developing their work duties, there is also a wide variety of negative implications that might perpetuate the gender stereotypes that women are less productive at work [26,27].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of menstrual pain and symptoms on activities of daily living and on work absenteeism: A cross-sectional study

Leon-Larios,

Silva-Reus,

Martínez

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Objective To analyse the prevalence of menstrual pain in women of reproductive age, who use contraception methods or not, as well as its repercussion on their daily life and professional activities. Methods A cross-sectional and descriptive study conducted in July and August 2022. Phone interviews were carried out by means of a random system to select women aged between 15 and 49 years old. The questionnaire included sociodemographic variables, contraception method used and characteristics of the menstrual pattern (pain and bleeding amount), its influence on their working life and if they would need to resort to sick leaves due to the impairments arising from the menstrual symptoms. Results A total of 1,800 women representative of the Spanish population took part in this study. 72.6% of them report menstrual pain, with 45.9% requiring medication. 35.9% identify their menstrual bleeding as intense or very intense. 38.8% assert that menstrual discomforts affect their everyday life. 34.3% would have required not attending their work activities or having requested sick leave due to the discomforts, although only 17.3% of the women finally requested so, mainly because 58.4% considered that it might imply consequences in their professional environment, especially those with Higher Education. The women that report more discomforts are the youngest ones and those that resort to condoms as contraceptive method (p < 0.001). Conclusions Menstrual pain is a prevalent problem among women of reproductive age and can affect their everyday life and professional environment, requiring work leaves on some occasions.

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“…Report not retrieved (n=0) "Adding an amendment to the Basic Education Act regarding the distribution of sanitary napkins in schools" by the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health by the President of Kenya (41) Integrating MHM indicators into the education monitoring information system and regular reporting programs of schools (41) Introduction of menstrual leave policy as a right for women by Australian health organizations (under review) (42) Menstrual leave as a policy in employment is a weak measure and a better alternative to accessing good-quality reproductive health information and medical services if needed (43). Menstrual leave is a right for all women in Indonesia (29).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Menstrual Rights Programs and Policies for Childbearing-aged women and girls: A Systematic Review

Valipour,

Farnam,

Abbasi

et al. 2023

Crescent J Med Biol Sci

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Objectives: In order to increase the awareness of health service providers about the difficulties and consequences associated with the violation of menstrual rights, it is necessary to conduct a review study of existing programs in this area. This study aimed to review the menstrual rights programs and policies for reproductive-aged women and girls. Methods: In this systematic review, we searched international databases, including PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, and Web of Science, as well as Iranian ones, such as IranMedex, Magiran, MEDLINE, and Embase, for relevant studies without considering publication year. Finally, of 832 results, including articles, reports, and governmental documents, 27 studies were included in this review study. Results: "Menstrual rights" is not viewed as a major issue, even in the international vision programs. The results indicate that the programs in this field were mainly focused on four aspects: laws and policies, empowerment in menstruation management, normalization, and support for menstrual justice. Despite the increase in programs to achieve menstrual health, dealing with the legality of these programs has been completely marginalized. Conclusions: Since instructions and plans can play a vital role in implementing health policies, our findings emphasize the need for an evidence-driven plan to improve women and girls’ menstruation and reproductive health and rights that is consistent with long-term developmental goals. Attracting partnerships from the private sector, charities, and activists in this field can be very beneficial to achieving these goals.

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Menstrual Leave: Good Intention, Poor Solution

Cited by 8 publications

References 27 publications

Influence of menstrual pain and symptoms on activities of daily living and work absenteeism: a cross-sectional study

Influence of menstrual pain and symptoms on activities of daily living and work absenteeism: a cross-sectional study

The effect of menstrual pain and symptoms on activities of daily living and on work absenteeism: A cross-sectional study

Menstrual Rights Programs and Policies for Childbearing-aged women and girls: A Systematic Review

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