And women have conflicting thoughts about this
Paid menstrual leave. Let's discuss.
You know that feeling when you're tired, you have killer cramps and you desperately want a duvet day to watch everything new on Netflix? But, yes, of course, you don't take those days off because women spend an average of 10 years of our lifetimes menstruating so that would be a hell of a lot of time off work.
But considering that period pains can be as painful as having a heart attack, surely it's something we should be talking about...
And now, the Italian parliament are considering a legislation that would mean companies would have to offer women three days' leave a month if they suffered from painful periods.
Japan has had a similar legislation in place since 1947 and Taiwan, South Korea and Indonesia also have like laws. In fact, Russia debated implementing it back in 2013 but it still hasn't happened.
Some women have praised the proposed law in Italy, stating that it's a reflection of women's rights and shows progress, while others worry it could backfire, with firms favouring hiring men over women because of their foreseen time off.
And, others have said that a legislation like this would only exacerbate the stereotype that women are more emotional and less able to work efficiently during specific times of their menstrual cycle. However, it has been stated that some women are actually smarter and more alert when they're on their periods so it's worth throwing that out there, too.
A few years ago, Pharrell Williams threw a statement that commended women for going into work every month despite being on their periods, saying: ‘Once a month [women] go through something that we’ll never understand, and yet they still come to work and they still kick ass... If women wanted to, like, cripple an economy, they just don’t go to work and don’t come home [and] that country’s dead for that day.' And, he was faced with backlash for being patronising.
What do you think? Do you think paid menstrual leave is a good idea or not?
