Lhe decision would be a first in Europe. In Spain, the left-wing government plans to introduce into law menstrual leave for women suffering from particularly painful menstruation, but the initiative is debated even within the executive and the unions. This measure could be included in a bill on abortion aimed at consolidating the right to voluntary termination of pregnancy and reproductive rights, and which should be adopted Tuesday in the Council of Ministers.
“We will recognize in law the right of women who have painful periods to a stop [de travail] special which will be financed by the State from day one”, tweeted, Friday, May 13, the Minister for Equality, Irene Montero, one of the leaders of the radical left party Podemos, partner of the Socialist Party in within the government of Pedro Sanchez. It is not known, however, whether the discussions within the executive have really made it possible to reach an agreement between Podemos and the socialist ministers holding the economic portfolios on the exact scope of this menstrual leave.
No French law addresses menstrual leave
According to Spanish media having had access to a provisional version of the bill, the duration of this leave would be three days, with the possibility of extending it by two additional days in the event of acute symptoms, on the basis of a medical certificate. . “It is important to specify what painful periods are: we are not talking about slight discomfort, but about serious symptoms, such as diarrhea, severe headaches and fever”, specified, at the beginning of April, the secretary of Equal State, Angela Rodriguez, also a member of Podemos.
A few countries have introduced a right to menstrual leave into their legislation in recent years, particularly in Asia, but so far no European country has done so. In France, a few rare companies do authorize their employees to stop work during their periods, but menstrual leave does not appear in the law or in collective agreements. Spain would therefore once again be a pioneer in Europe in terms of women’s rights. But the debate is lively, because, if the left wing of the government pushes in this direction, certain socialist ministers are reluctant, for fear that such a measure, because of its high cost, will in fact be counter-productive, in “stigmatising” women and paradoxically resulting in favoring the recruitment of male employees.