Menstrual leave can lift women’s labour participation

In 2023, of 3.4 billion global employees, men outnumber women heavily. In India, women are estimated to constitute around 40% of the service sector’s staff. The female labour force participation (FLFP) rate in India was 37% in 2023, with a clear trend indicating more women joining organized workplaces. 

A rising FLFP is a growth driver for any economy, especially for a developing one such as India. However, encouraging greater participation is as crucial as ensuring incentives are aligned to retain women in the labour force across various sectors. Despite unique challenges in each industry and role, all workplaces should prioritize the physical, mental and emotional well-being of their employees for better retention.

Most women in India’s labour force are aged 25-54 and a large proportion of them menstruate. Hence, menstrual leave arises as a need for multiple reasons. Menstruation can be a matter of great discomfort, with particular vulnerability to migraines, abdominal pain, backache, bloating, breast pain, fatigue, mood swings and conditions like endometriosis, pre-menstrual syndrome and pre-menstrual dysphoric disorder. 

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These experiences, often suppressed, affect menstruating employees’ comfort at work. They can lead to loss of focus and drops in performance and productivity, even office absenteeism and resultant marginalization. The American Psychological Association describes these limitations as “handicaps."

Workplace well-being factors constitute ‘decent work,’ a concept propounded by the International Labour Organization that looks at jobs from employee perspectives. In this context, menstrual leave can be seen as a rights-based provision for female labour force retention, one that supports menstruating employees physically and emotionally. 

Menstrual leave provisions can compensate for the lack of menstruation amenities at most workplaces, a common violation of menstruating employees’ rights. Menstrual-leave policies aim to reduce inequalities that arise from differences between those who menstruate and those who don’t, fostering equity. Viewing workplace provisions through a menstrual equity lens could help organizations achieve gender equity.

Paid menstrual leave is a sign of equal respect and appreciation for all employees. Several countries—including Japan, Indonesia, South Korea, Taiwan, Philippines and Vietnam—have policies of paid menstrual leave. In India, Bihar introduced menstrual leave in 1992. 

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In 2021, the governments of Delhi and Uttar Pradesh announced menstrual leave for female employees. In 2023, Kerala granted menstrual leave for female university students. Private companies like Culture Machine, Gozoop, Swiggy, Byju’s, Zomato and Viacom also have menstrual leave policies.

An International Monetary Fund paper estimates that equal female workforce participation could boost India’s GDP by 27%, adding an impressive $700 billion. This finding underscores the parallel paths of economic growth and gender equality. 

Menstrual leave, a gender-sensitive policy, could enhance menstrual health, working conditions and thus favour gender equality. In the past, adaptive measures for women like providing toilet facilities in schools have significantly improved girls’ attendance and participation in education.

As India needs to boost female labour force participation for growth, the pursuit of diversity, equity and inclusion should place a special focus on menstruating individuals. This approach can help create more inclusive workplaces. It is a step towards acknowledging and addressing the unique needs of menstruating employees in a manner that makes for a more equitable work environment overall.

As there are concerns about the potentially discriminatory nature of a menstrual leave policy, it needs close evaluation. To weigh all aspects and assess its impact on women’s participation and retention, here are steps that can be taken.

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Conduct research studies: Comprehensive research findings can help decision-makers understand the effect of menstruation on women’s work performance and well-being.

Run pilot programmes: Implement pilot menstrual leave schemes in various workplaces to evaluate their impact on productivity, employee morale and retention rates.

Get feedback: Regularly collect feedback from all employees, not just menstruators, to understand their perspective.

Review policies: Review such leave policies used in other countries and companies to adapt successful practices.

Do an inclusion test: Consider alternative policies that are inclusive. For instance, ‘flexible leave’ or ‘wellness leave’ can be used by all employees who don’t feel well enough.

Educate everyone: Promote education and awareness of menstruation to reduce stigma and ensure everyone understands why menstrual leave might be necessary. We should also consider improving workplace conditions, menstrual hygiene infrastructure, access to safe menstrual products and emergency care facilities.

The goal is to create a supportive and inclusive work environment for everyone.