Spain is the first country in Europe to include paid menstrual leave in the labor law.
A new law passed by the Spanish government allows women to take menstrual leave if they experience painful menstruation. This leave does not affect the number of days taken as part of annual leave.
Spain thus joins countries such as Taiwan, Indonesia, South Korea, Zambia, and Japan, where the current regulations allow menstrual leave. Interestingly, Japan introduced periodic exemptions for women to the labor law, as early as 1947 (!).
According to statistics, 80% of women experienced menstrual pain and the vast majority of them confirmed that they continued to work despite their poor physical or mental condition. The reason, in most cases, was the cultivated shame and lack of social acceptance to talk openly about menstruation and the discomfort associated with it.
Although many governments in Europe and around the world have not yet taken any specific legislative steps, many companies are implementing such solutions on their own. I wonder which companies are these, and are we ready to talk about this topic openly?
