Friday, January 15, 2010

Menstrual Leave Anyone

Menstrual Leave Anyone
Photo Credit: [Stock Photo]. Retrieved May 27, 2014 http://m.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/05/should-women-get-paid-menstrual-leave-days/370789/It's that time of month and Bloody Mary or Aunt Flow, as some of us call her, is here for her week-long vacation... better known as menstrual agony. She brings with her a wardrobe from hell: cramps, irritability, headaches, iron deficiencies and for some, even worse accessories. The million dollar question is: "Do you deserve menstrual leave?"

SHOULD WOMEN GET "MENSTRUAL LEAVE"?

In the United States, there is no sympathy for women when it comes to this. Products such as Midol are said to be the trick to keep it moving when one's period is trying to bring her down. However, in some East Asian countries "Menstrual Leave" exists. As a result, a major debate over the stereotypical fragility of women has come about such as are women too emotional to manage. Taking this leave says to some that women just can't handle their own bodies. On the other hand, some argue that this leave is just as crucial and righteous as maternity leave.

Accordingly, Japan has had a "Menstrual Leave" since World War II. According to the Atlantic.com, "the 1947 Labor Standards Law, any women suffering from painful periods or whose job might exacerbate period pain are allowed seirikyuuka (literally "physiological leave"). At the time the law was written, women were entering the workforce in record numbers, and workplaces like factories, mines and bus stations had little by way of sanitary facilities."

Photo Credit: [Stock Photo]. Retrieved May 27, 2014 http://bossip.com/969908/should-your-job-provide-paid-menstrual-leave/

In Taiwan, female workers are given 3 days of "Menstrual Leave" per year. That is in addition to their regular 30 days of half paid sick leave. Some might just argue that 3 days a year is nothing when a woman is on her cycle for anywhere from 3-7 or more days. Based off of this information, is the leave even worth the trouble? One could say that at least it's nice to have it there for those days of menstrual agony when she absolutely cannot understand Mother Nature's torture mission.

Indonesian women are entitled to take two days a month of menstrual leave, though many companies simply ignore the law, and others have even been accused of forcing women to drop trou and "prove" their need for time off. This month, a delegation of female workers pressed presidential candidates about workplace discrimination, including menstrual leave abuses.

This would be a major issue in the United States seeing as though women are still fighting for their rights under the glass ceiling in corporate America.

Photo Credit: [Stock Photo]. Retrieved May 27, 2014 http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/health/womens-health/paid-menstrual-leaveThe fact of the matter is that menstrual leave can vary in so many ways from month to month and from year to year. A menstrual cycle can affect a woman in many different ways over periods of time. For most women, it's bearable for the majority of the time. However, 20 percent of women face excruciating and debilitating periods. Based upon this information, is it safe to say this issue needs to be explored.

Written by Jasmine Katrina Hockett

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