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Menstrual Leave: Extra 3 days paid leave a month for Italian women may become law

Amber Thomas
Has anyone else seen this...?


Italy might soon become the first Western country with an official “menstrual leave” policy for working women. The lower house of Italy’s parliament has started discussing a draft law that, if approved, will mandate companies to grant three days of paid leave each month to female employees who experience painful periods. “It has been shown that women who suffer severe pain during their period are much less productive in these days,” said Simonetta Rubinato, a politician who put the law forward with three other female lawmakers. “Recognising their right to be absent from work during that time means they will be much more productive when they return.”


Some fear that the law might backfire, penalising women in a country where they are already struggling to participate in the workforce. If women were granted extra days of paid leave, wrote Lorenza Pleuteri in Donna Moderna, a women’s magazine, “employers could become even more oriented to hire men rather than women”.


Italy has one of the lowest rates of female participation in the workforce in Europe. Only 61 percent of Italian women work, well below the European average of 72 per cent. This is due in part to employers’ reluctance to hire women and retain them after they become mothers. According to a report by ISTAT, Italy's national bureau of statistics, almost one-fourth of pregnant workers are fired during or right after their pregnancies – even though doing so is illegal.


Menstrual leave has been a legal right for Japanese women since 1947, but fear of social stigma means many will not take it. “If you take menstrual leave, you’re basically broadcasting to the entire office which days of the month you have your period,” said Kyoko, a professional woman in her 30s, who asked for her real name to be withheld. “It’s not the sort of thing you want to share with male colleagues, and it could lead to sexual harassment.”


Some UK companies are also starting to offer this policy. Read more: 





Would be interested to hear thoughts on this. Is this a step towards equality and greater flexible working policies or a step backwards by marking women as incapable 3 days a month? Would you be comfortable with your colleagues (and possibly your clients) knowing your personal bodily functions? Would extra time off cause resentment from male colleagues/managers? Or from female colleagues/managers who choose not to take it? Would the potential for women to take extra days off mean employers would be less likely to hire/promote women in the first place?
  • Former Community Member
    0 Former Community Member

    Stephen Booth:

    I'm aware that for some women (especially those with ongoing conditions like Endometriosis) period pain can be severe and debilitating.  I presume that this proposed law is aimed more at helping those women than the majority who can just work through it, maybe with the help of a couple painkillers every 4 hours.  




    This is a very complex matter, and in fact as Stephen said, employers might tend to prefer to not hire employees that do not work 10% of the month.


    However, I would like to mention the point that it should not be a given that taking painkillers every 4 hours is OK. It is the choice of the person who takes them and although most people do, there are others who choose not to take medication that often or prefer not to. I personally HAVE to take such painkillers, but I would have preferred to stay home for 1/half day so that I do not have to take them at all.

    I would also definitely prefer if I did not have to take this time off out of my annual leave - spending your vacation time in bed feeling awful. If this is the case, no wonder most women prefer to go to work and under-perform (for those that the pain does not permit them to work efficiently) instead of taking time off their annual leave.

  • Former Community Member
    0 Former Community Member

    Abimbola Akanwo-Hood:




    Antonia Tzemanaki:




    Abimbola Akanwo-Hood:
    As professionals, we factor these ghastly two to three days of severe pain into our working day plan and manage it.

    It is not heroic. As professionals, getting the job done has to be a priority - it was for me.




    I am sure you must also find it a little unfair that you had to get the job done while in such pain and manage it, while your male colleauges did not have to. If you took one day off maybe you would not have to suffer and you could be more productive the following day.


     




    No, sorry, I didn't see it as unfair at all. Each to her/his own, we all have issues we have to deal. I did take time off when necessary - as  sick leave or annual leave.


     




    So you thought that it was fair that you had to give up a part-time MSc course at Keele? An MSc course might not have been able to change their time schedule for just one person, however situations like this appear in work as well.

  • Former Community Member
    0 Former Community Member

    Lisa Miles:

    The 'entitlement' to take an extra 3 days leave  per month will only result in more resentment, not only from men who are unable to benefit from such a law but other colleagues who continually have to take up the slack.

     




    Any man who views it as a benefit is one who seriously lacks education in women's health! I'd rather (and I'm sure 99.99% of women too) would prefer to go to work than to suffer from extreme pain and have a day off.


    Speaking from the perspective of a manager, Kathryn is correct to say that it could be covered by actual sick leave. However, that does have a number of drawbacks such as: if it's practically every month then you are likely to hit an absence "trigger point" that will result in HR monitoring you; high levels of leave might make an employee worry about their position (probably for no good reason at a decent company); and running out of paid sick leave and therefore out of pocket.


    None of the above should be a problem in a good company and in a progressive culture, and neither should the idea of three days of paid leave per month. I can however see it being problematic in some cultures and within cut-throat companies, hence I can see merit in enshrining it in law.


    Again, speaking as a manager, I would not be concerned about one of my reports losing a couple of days each month if I know it's likely to happen. Man or woman, I have a duty to the welfare of my team and would support anyone through a chronic condition. Don't forget that it's not exactly uncommon for this to happen already.

  • 0

    Stephen Booth:


    Also, there are roughly 30 days in the month so, as an employer, do I want to lose a loyal employee for 100% of the month, when I can have them for 90% of the month, over something that isn't their fault, is likely to reduce with time and only impacts them 10% of the month?  Or do I want to be the employer who attracts and retains top talent because I treat them with understanding and humanity?




    This is a good point, but if you are the employer that could hire a person who would be there 100% of the time or hire a person who would be there 90% of the time, who would you pick? Do you think that hiring practices would be influenced by a change in the law like this? If employers know that in hiring a woman, there is potential for them to be out of action 3 days a month (during which time you would still have to pay them), then would that employer be more likely to favour hiring men instead? If so, then a woman might not have the opportunity to prove herself a loyal employee as it might be harder to get a foot in the door in the first place...


    Even if both were hired, I'm not sure how I would feel about having 28 days of annual leave and working alongside someone doing the same job on the same pay who would have more than double that amount of paid time off... Would flexible working be fairer/less likely to introduce frictions in the workplace? eg. employees can have the time off, but would make up the hours later when they were feeling better.

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    Antonia Tzemanaki:




    Abimbola Akanwo-Hood:




    Antonia Tzemanaki:




    Abimbola Akanwo-Hood:
    As professionals, we factor these ghastly two to three days of severe pain into our working day plan and manage it.

    It is not heroic. As professionals, getting the job done has to be a priority - it was for me.




    I am sure you must also find it a little unfair that you had to get the job done while in such pain and manage it, while your male colleauges did not have to. If you took one day off maybe you would not have to suffer and you could be more productive the following day.


     




    No, sorry, I didn't see it as unfair at all. Each to her/his own, we all have issues we have to deal. I did take time off when necessary - as  sick leave or annual leave.


     




    So you thought that it was fair that you had to give up a part-time MSc course at Keele? An MSc course might not have been able to change their time schedule for just one person, however situations like this appear in work as well.


     


    No, I think you misunderstood. Withdrawing from the part-time MSc course was a gut-wrenching decision, the course was supported and paid for by my then employer, so it was not a good decision career wise either. I coped better at home with the pain, heavy bleeding etc, I had things I needed withion reach, on campus at Keele Uni. getting an extra blanket, a comforting mug of chocolate when needed was more difficult. However I didn't see this as being unfair to me (I wasn't terminally ill),  it was just a regretable situation.


    I must also add that despite being careful with days off for sick leave, I once overheard a manager telling someone " she takes too much sick leaves" - so when considering promotions, annual pay rise,  yearly bonus, whether to send someone on a course, the amount of sick leaves taken could be factored into the decision. I'm pretty sure this was just one line manager's decision making consideration, but I just thought I should point it out.




     

  • 0
    Don't get me wrong, I fully appreciate the trials and tribulations of being a woman and how much pain we have to endure on a monthly basis (you're assuming I have an easy time of it when in fact having an allergy to anti-inflamatory medication means I can't take the standard painkillers for that type of pain) but my irritation is and always has been the fact that there have been generations of women fighting for our recognition as equal partners in this game of gender and yet we are still asking for 'special treatment' due to being a woman. If we want equality, there should be a level playing field on both sides of the argument.


    As Abi ( Abimbola Akanwo-Hood‍) says, we ALL have medical issues and problems that we have to deal with on a daily basis so why should women be allowed to take what is, in effect, an extra 36 days paid leave a year 'no questions asked' when our male counterparts cannot?

  • Former Community Member
    0 Former Community Member
    I agree on most parts and I understand and fear the future implications such as employers prefering men since they would have less leave and women being seen as receiving special treatment.

    My opinion on the 'special treatment' front is what is depicted in this picture: culturalorganizing.org/.../IISC_EqualityEquity.jpg


    Therefore, I think that there could be some benefit to such a law: instead of 3 days - it could be only 1 (I am sure they are fighting for more, expecting to actually get less), and it could be given only with a formal note from doctors/a formal diagnosis. Not all women would/should be entitled to this, and noone would be obliged to take this day off.
  • 0

    Maria Kelly:



    It’s that resentment that fuels the sexist codswallop about women not being able to do difficult sums, or not read maps. 



    Maria



    Maria Kelly‍ That sentance made me laugh out loud and probably would my father and partner too...


    In my family I'm known as LeePS (Lee pee ess) due to my talents in being able to navigate and accurately read maps negating the need for them to use GPS sat nav while I'm in the car... laugh


    Lisa

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