Given the biological complexity of women and the intense pain they have to suffer during menstruation, discuss the need for a menstrual leave policy in India. Also discuss the challenges associated with such policy and suggest measures to overcome those challenges. (200 words)
Refer – Business Line
Enrich the answer from other sources, if the question demands.
IAS Parliament 6 years
KEY POINTS
What was the need?
· Men and women are biologically different.
· Many women experience debilitating pain and feel uncomfortable during menstruation.
· Many organizations lack an adequate number of toilets, while some have common toilets for men and women. This makes the situation more miserable for menstruating women.
· Such a policy will encourage the participation of more women in the country’s workforce.
· It will reduce menstrual taboos by addressing it.
· Productivity levels would go up according to the state of mind women have towards their employer.
· Countries like Japan, Taiwan, several provinces in China, Indonesia and South Korea have already implemented menstrual leave policies for women.
Challenges
· Organisations may tend to hire more men than women, because hiring women will lead to losses for the organisation, considering the number of days they’ll work.
· With each woman taking a leave once every month, the productivity of the organisation will come down.
· Such a move could create a large room for harassment of women at the workplace, given the widespread ignorance about menstruation among Indian men.
· Many women were also against such policy as it will lead to violation of their right to privacy.
Suggestions
· The culture surrounding menstruation must be changed, and it takes both women and men to make that happen.
· It starts with open, honest conversation, and continues with education that empowers women to feel aware of and comfortable with their bodies and flows.
· We need to ensure access to separate toilets for men and women with facilities for disposal of sanitary napkins in all workplaces.
· Instead of requiring women to adjust to workplaces designed for men, we need to transform our workplaces to be inclusive and sensitive to the needs of all employees.
· This will ensure an enabling environment in which both men and women can thrive and perform up to their maximum potential.
