Menstruation via Shutterstock
A British company named Coexist is confronting menstrual pain head-on with a new policy that offers women paid time off during their period. And these days off will be considered separate from regular sick days, says the group, where 24 of the 31 staffers are women.
The concept of a paid menstrual leave is not a new issue, and the implications for 'pain' days have been argued in the past. A 2014 article published in The Atlantic questioned whether implementation might perpetuate a gender stereotype and "further the notion that women are weak, hormonally-addled creatures controlled by their uteri." In a rebuttal, the Huffington Post publicly endorsed paid menstrual leave, and their hand-picked panelists were heard praising Asian countries such as Taiwan for what they called progressive policies in that regard.
In a survey of 600 women by Feminax, a pain reliever by Bayer claiming to target menstrual symptoms, 10 percent reported being bedridden on more than one occasion due to period pain. The same survey found that up to 40 percent of women claim that pain from each month's episode affected their ability to concentrate on work-related tasks.
“We wanted a policy in place which recognizes and allows women to take time for their body’s natural cycle without putting this under the label of illness,” Bex Baxter, the director of Coexist told The Guardian, who said she hopes the policy will help her female employees remain efficient at work and allow for an open dialogue regarding an issue that can be seen as shameful and embarrassing.
“I have women staff telling me they’re ashamed to admit they’re in pain," she said. "I want us to break down that shame and replace the negativity with positivity.”
So, is paid leave due to menstruation biologically necessary, or more along the lines of "special" treatment? The debate continues. Just as women's menstrual cycles will.
