Regressive or Real? Why period talk is touchy

Menstrual leave

— an insult or a necessity? Though there are conflicting viewpoints on social media, in the corporate world, in July US-based Magster, Mumbai-based NeoNiche Integrated and media houses Culture Machine and Mathrubhumi offered period leave to their women employees.

"For 75% of women, working during

periods

present no problem. The rest suffer from pain. Of this minority, there are some who have certain medical conditions and can get physically incapacitated during the first one or two days," says gynaecologist Dr Priya Selvaraj.

Countries like Japan and Korea offer leave to women on the first day of periods. But opinion is still divided in India with companies seeing it as a progressive step towards women’s health and feminists terming it regressive and an infringement on privacy.

Doctors and public health care professionals say period leave is more of a necessity for blue-collar workers in rural areas, whose access to proper sanitation, water supply and toilets are limited.

T S Selva Vinayagam, director, public health and preventive medicine, government of Tamil Nadu, says, "Safety is paramount. Companies should have places where women can change without fear of voyeurism or sexual abuse. In small scale units, instead of one toilet for 20 women, the ratio is as high as 200 women to one toilet."

Dr Selvaraj agrees that women in rural and semi-urban areas are the most affected. "In a corporate, white-collar world I don’t really see the need for period leave."

For Culture Machine, which is giving first-day optional period leave, it is about making the workplace more women-friendly. Devleena S Majumder, president, Culture Machine, says, "It is time to accept that women are biologically different."

Some women like Priya Raman, senior analyst at a financial services company, welcome the measure. Priya says she gets physically incapacitated the first two days due to the intense pain. "At work, it’s a delicate situation explaining it to bosses. Having such an option means I don’t owe anyone an explanation," says Raman.

At a time when corporates are talking about gender equality and non-discriminatory practices, this move is being considered regressive by many. "From a feminist perspective, this is taking us back by centuries," says independent photographer Amulya Nagaraj. Corporates in India are already wary of hiring women because of the mandatory six months maternity leave. "There is also a perception that women work less, like to leave work early and put family ahead of career. Periods are something 50% of the population goes through every month. So why have special privileges?" asks Nagaraj.

Vinod Ashok, a software developer, also feels that such moves make women look like the weaker sex, despite all the stress on gender equality.

Clinical psychologist Kavita Varma says, "Men might take time to accept such a move, if they aren’t empathetic. It can be looked at as discrimination and prove difficult for women who work in more traditional working environments and have male juniors."

For some, it is about a personal matter being made, almost public. "Why should anyone know when I am having my period?" asks Priya Jaiprakash, a banker.

Sensitisation of male employees and bosses is critical, says Ravi Rathakonda, HR manager with a banking MNC. "If a female employee says she is unwell or has a tummy upset, a male boss should understand and not probe. We should give them the flexibility to decide how they want to tackle those days — to work from home or take the day off," he says.

What is also relevant in the

debate

is that currently only corporates are offering such jobs to white-collar employees. "It is elitist thinking. Would a maid or a construction worker get the day off?" asks Nagaraj.

Grant of more sick leaves is the way forward, say some. "Allocating a pool of gender agnostic ‘wellness’ leave for various reasons like menstrual days, mental health, taking care of sick family members, grieving the loss of loved ones, can help. At the end of the day, if the organisation finds the right balance between productivity and attracting, retaining the relevant talent, such initiatives are welcome," says Hamsa Kannan, cofounder, Above N Beyond, an organisation consulting company.