PERIOD LEAVE | CHAR

In February this year, Spain became the first country in Europe to approve menstrual leave for women offering 3-5 paid days off each MONTH if they feel unwell and uncomfortable 🙏 

Period pain, or dysmenorrhea, is common; more than half of menstruating women experience pain for one or two days every month. For some, the pain is so severe that they are unable to perform normal activities for several days, so this news comes as a huge relief for many of those that suffer. 

This is part of a broader movement on sexual and reproductive rights in the country including free period products in schools.

Spain now joins Japan, Indonesia, South Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam and Zambia who all offer support for women on their time of the month.

Personally, I think this is AMAZING as I know a lot of people who suffer but there are some contesting this - including women who are worried that menstrual leave will reinforce negative gender stereotypes and notions of biological determinism, leading to more employer discrimination against women.

So, do we think this is going to cause a domino effect?

Will the UK follow suit?

For anyone in my network who struggles there are some great apps out there to help understand your cycle and body better. The one that I’ve been using is Flo.