Teen Vogue: ‘Paid Menstrual Leave’ Is a ‘Fundamental Worker’s Right’

Paid menstrual leave is a “fundamental worker’s right” that should be guaranteed by employers, according to a recent Teen Vogue op-ed that makes the case for the policy, claiming that workers are not “children to be managed by paternalistic bosses” and should not be forced to use “normal sick days” during menstrual periods.

The Thursday essay, titled “Paid Menstrual Leave Is a Worker’s Rights Issue That Employers Should Guarantee,” was penned by contributor Sara Youngblood Gregory, a self-described “lesbian poet,” whose upcoming work “The Polyamory Workbook” deals with “navigating ethical non monogamy”:

The essay begins by discussing the “millions of people who menstruate and must navigate their careers, productivity, and pain while on their periods.”

According to Gregory, paid menstrual leave “is more than just an added employment benefit — it’s a worker’s rights issue.”

“When we shift the conversation from an added benefit to a fundamental worker’s right, paid menstrual leave affirms that workers should not have to choose between getting paid, risking their health, or suffering through illness, discomfort, or pain,” she writes. 

“Paid menstrual leave is one tangible method to ensure the workplace is more accessible and equitable for all workers,” she adds.

The author notes that such a policy currently exists in several countries, including Japan and Zambia, and contrasts that with the U.S., where there is “resistance.” 

Common concerns the author lists include menstruators “receiving unfair benefits,” why they can’t “just use normal sick days,” and if such absence should only “be allowed with a doctor’s note, proof of severe symptoms, or a diagnosis of endometriosis.” 

Gregory even cites a 2017 survey revealing that half of the respondents believed menstrual leave would have negative impacts due to concerns it “would be abused for other purposes and that such policies would be unfair to non-menstruators.”

She also notes that some feminists have historically opposed the policy, citing a 2017 Washington Post piece titled “I’m a Feminist. Giving Women a Day Off for Their Periods Is a Stupid Idea,” which deems a paid menstrual leave proposal in India “paternalistic” in that it “reaffirms biological determinism in the lives of women,” with the “special treatment” being a “disservice to feminism.”

Despite that, the Teen Vogue essay argues that paid menstrual leave is not about “special treatment, playing the system, or isolating menstruators in the workplace.” 

“Menstrual leave simply acknowledges that workers live in bodies with different needs, functions, and experiences — and that working standards must meet the needs of a changing labor force,” the author writes.

According to Gregory, offering more sick leave “isn’t a solution either if people who have painful periods have to drain their allotted time every month.” 

She then describes a worker without “access to paid menstrual leave” who is “forced to use her paid sick leave almost monthly — and this affects her relationship and standing with her employers.”

“Why should a woman have to justify herself?” the worker said. “Paid menstrual leave would greatly impact my quality of life. I wouldn’t have to feel embarrassed to state [to employers] that I need holiday because I am facing [the] pain of my monthly cycle.”

Without paid menstrual leave, Gregory argues, “those with severe symptoms are punished for the reality of their own bodies, and their careers suffer.” 

Claiming that any concern that “people who menstruate will abuse” their leave “rings hollow,” the author — based off the individual experience at a menstrual care company — suggests employees be “trusted to make decisions about their own health without oversight,” such as a doctor’s note.

Criticizing the prevailing attitude that “we must work through pain,” she states there are many instances where the “bodily autonomy of workers is sidelined in the name of productivity,” citing the need to “[ask] for bathroom breaks” and requiring “proof of illness,” among others.

However, she concludes, “workers aren’t children to be managed by paternalistic bosses.” 

“When it comes to menstruation, there is no reason why workers don’t deserve the right to paid leave — especially when there is an easy, undisruptive solution staring us in the face,” she adds.

In May, the socialist government of Spain set the stage to become the first European country to offer women monthly leave from work for menstruation.

As a part of the abortion legislation spearheaded by the socialist government’s Minister of Equality, far-left MP Irene Montero, women will be allowed to take three paid days off per month from work if they are experiencing pain associated with periods.

The draft law says that this could be extended to up to five days off of work for those women suffering from intense symptoms, such as severe pain, cramps, nausea, dizziness, or vomiting, the El Pias newspaper reported.

The abortion legislation, which calls to legalize sixteen-year-old children to seek abortions without parental consent, also seeks to eliminate the ten percent tax on feminine hygiene products and provide women with free contraceptives, such as the morning-after pill and longer-term hormonal contraceptives. 

Schools and prisons would also be required to provide women with free menstrual products.

Currently, only a handful of countries, including Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Zambia, offer women paid menstrual leave from work.

Justifying the measure, Spain’s Secretary of State for Equality and Against Gender Violence, Ángela Rodríguez, told the El Periodico newspaper, “When the problem cannot be solved medically, we think it is very sensible that there should be temporary incapacity associated with this issue.”

The measure has sparked debate in the country concerning if it stigmatizes women in the workplace.

The deputy secretary-general of the Unión General de Trabajadores, Cristina Antoñanzas, argued that giving women extra time off for their periods will “return the focus on women on an issue that differentiates us from men” and, therefore, could prevent some women from obtaining jobs.

The Teen Vogue piece is not the first to support the policy.

The left-wing Huffington Post endorsed paid menstrual leave for working women, declaring that “America Is Way Behind On Paid ‘Menstrual Leave.’”

In a discussion on the topic in 2014, Skepchick.org founder Rebecca Watson said:

Just by asking the question, “Should women get paid menstruation leave?” biases the listener into saying, “Oh, of course not,” because you’re talking about special treatment. But if you were to say, should men get paid time off if they were kicked in the testicles, yes, like if you have a medical problem, you should get to take time off.

“And again, what we’re talking about, really, is just simple workers’ rights,” she added. “Studies show that when you give a worker unlimited sick days, compared to a restricted number of sick days, they actually take fewer sick days and they’re happier and more productive.”

In the same discussion, Mikki Kendall, editor at Hood feminism.com, also called for more paid leave.

“Just give us all more paid leave,” she said. “Most people, for one reason or another, probably need a couple days off in a given month because of illness, because of family emergencies, because they woke up that day and they don’t feel great and they’re just overwrought and overtired, whatever.” 

“And so if we increase the amount of PTO available to all employees, you’d see a healthier workplace, among other things,” she added. “People would stop coming to work with the flu and spreading their disease and germs to everyone else.”

However, left-wing Slate writer Katy Waldman had already tackled the issue, dismissing it by saying, “Don’t offer us paid period leave. We’ll just spend it all taking self-pitying Buzzfeed quizzes.”