Menstrual Leave Policy in India:
It was introduced by Congress Lok Sabha MP Ninong Ering in 2017. According to this Policy, women employed in public and private establishments and are registered by State / Central Government are given 2 days of menstrual leave per month. let's understand more precisely what menstrual leave is? It is a type of holiday that a woman has an option to take paid or unpaid from their office if they have their periods and are unfit to work because of that.
Arguments against the implementation of this policy:
1. These leaves can be misused as a woman can lie about having their periods and take these leaves unnecessarily.
2. This policy is being seen as discrimination against the male gender since they do not menstruate hence they can not avail this leave.
3. According to some people there are bigger issues than periods and they believe that medicines and a hot water bottle can help any woman get relief and become capable of working.
4.This policy can trigger several cases of discrimination against women at their workplace as they will be looked down upon and will not be given equal opportunities.
Arguments in favour of the implementation of this policy:
1. These leaves will help women rest in the comfort of their homes.
2. These leaves will be used by women instead of their sick leaves which they had to take because they had no option and were unable to work.
3. We should take into consideration some of the relating diseases from periods like Menorrhagia, Endometriosis, Fibroids, Pelvic Inflammatory Disease etc. Therefore there is a need for menstrual leaves so that women get proper comfort and these illnesses could be prevented because PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE.
4.Menstrual leave policy will facilitate equality of all working conditions for both men and women.
Companies that have implemented Menstrual Leave Policy:
1. Zomato- One of the Indian companies, Zomato is providing 10days periods leave per year. Zomato's justification for implementing this policy is that women have 14 menstrual cycles every year and taking into consideration the times when
a woman's period comes on weekends they believe that 10 days leave is optimal.
2.FlyMyBiz- Kolkata based digital media company
3.Culture Machine Media Pvt. Ltd.- Mumbai based digital media startup
4. Horses Stable News- Bangalore based start-up
5.Gozoop Online Pvt. Ltd.- Independent digital agency
Conclusion:
Periods / menstrual cycle has not been discussed in India freely yet. There are still certain sections of society that consider it taboo. But we need to understand that this is a very important time of a human's life and in my personal opinion, anything that can help this process get any easier for people should be done without any debate. It is not only a women issue but a human issue because non-binary people can too menstruate. In periods, a person not only suffers physically but mentally as well. There is a dire need to implement this policy all over India and the whole world as well.