The U.S. must pass paid menstrual leave

estrogen and progesterone during menstruation can cause elevated anxiety and stress. The hormone changes during menstrual cycles leave for the working class), points out how common many of these issues are. “I think it’s acknowledging the reality of some people’s employees needed time off and felt like they could not ask for it. A built-in policy will take the pressure off the employee of approach

The Spanish government passed the first paid menstrual leave law in Europe on Feb. 16 allowing people who menstruate to take three to five days off of work with a doctor’s note if they are experiencing dis abling period symptoms that pre vent them from performing their job properly and comfortably.

A handful of laws allowing paid menstrual leave have been implemented across the world in nations like the Soviet Union, Ja pan, Indonesia, and South Korea. The majority of countries have not considered it, but now is the time. The U.S. should allow people with menstrual cycles three to five days of paid “menstrual leave” each month if they are experiencing pe riod symptoms that negatively af fect their ability to work.

Menstruation symptoms can be incredibly painful and detrimental to the well being of those who expe rience them. This law would treat disabling periods like any other ill ness, which is justified given that 52 percent of respondents in a 2016 BBC survey reported that period pain affected their ability to work. Such symptoms simply cannot be solved with a simple Ibuprofen or Tylenol on the job.

In addition to physical pain from abdominal cramps, migraines, and other symptoms, the impacts of menstruation can be mental as well. A study conducted by the National Library of Medicine found that lowered levels of of women who experienced period pain affecting their ability to work had told their boss period pain was responsible. Dawn Huckelbridge, Director of Paid Leave for All (a national collaboration of organizations campaigning for fair paid interview with Silver Chips. According to the BBC survey, only roughly 17 percent of women whose work is affected by their pain took a sick day as a result. This statistic indicates that many ageable pain. Period pain is not considered a medical problem in America, and the lack of legislation surrounding this issue continues to affect the physical well being and careers of menstruating people.

They are expected to endure the intense process their bodies are carrying out, while fulfilling professional duties, which can be physically intensive, time-consuming, or mentally stressful.

Existing paid sick leave policies are completely insufficient to address the needs of menstruating individuals; they barely cover general illnesses, let alone leave room for people to take days off for monthly occurrences. Natividad Martín García, an Equity Delegate on the San Juan City Council in Seville, Spain, talks about the true motivation behind the new law. “[It] is not just a struggle for equality…it is to find a way of life more equal and [ensure] that we all have the same opportunities,” she said in an interview with Silver Chips. It’s time for the workplace to accommodate people’s bodies, not the other way around.