Debating the Merits of Menstrual Leave

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Menstrual leave. Huh. Who knew this was even a thing? That was my first reaction when I saw the title of this article. And I'll admit to indulging in a "really? Is that really necessary?"

Then I thought about my response to my daughters' complaints around their cycle (basically, take an Advil and suck it up, buttercup, or no, you cannot stay home from school) and my own grin and bear it attitude towards my own inner workings, and I started to feel uncomfortable. I know my daughter is in pain and yet I expect her to go about her day as if nothing is wrong. Heck, I expect that from myself as well. It is a monthly, "Being a female sucks but I will endure"practice. It had honestly never occurred to me to question the "Just ride through the pain" attitude.

But why?

The following fastcompany article, Could menstrual leave be the next work/life benefit? gives a bit of the history as well as some examples of menstrual leave policies found around the world (for instance, who knew that Japan has had a menstrual leave policy since 1947, when after World War II there were more women in the workplace) but also the problems associated with them (to take advantage of these policies, women must feel comfortable enough to reveal to their workplace their own menstrual cycles, an understandably vulnerable and precarious thing to do).

It is a short, but thought-provoking read- check it out!