Oppose period leave if you wish, but don’t trivialise menstrual health challenge
Menstruation is a globally recognised public health challenge which severely disrupts the lives of millions of women across the world.
Recently, food delivery company Zomato decided to offer women and transgender people up to 10 period leaves a year. While they are not the first Indian company to do so, the announcement triggered a hectic debate and opinions soon became strongly polarised on social media. One of the most vocal opponents of this decision was journalist Barkha Dutt who tweeted that period leave ghettoises women and strengthens biological determinism. She also went on to say that period leave turns a normal biological experience into some sort of a monumental event and that women cannot want to join the infantry, report war, fly fighter jets, go into space, want no exceptionalism and want period leave.
There are several flaws with the arguments put forth by naysayers. Firstly, biological differences are not created by men or women. They simply exist. Secondly, there is no universal experience of menstruation. In fact, the experience varies widely among women or even for the same woman at different points in time during the course of her menstruating years. Of course, menstruation is not a disease. However, its manifestation can range from mild to severely debilitating physical and mental symptoms.
Third, because some women feel just fine or are able to report wars during their periods it does not give anyone the right to make light of the experience of other women who might not be able to power through their periods in a similar manner. Also, while many women might go ahead with professional or personal commitments, despite the discomfort caused by their periods, expecting this “valiant” behaviour from women all the time cannot and should not become the societal norm. Much like expecting all women to be good multi-taskers is both unfair and illogical.
Fourth, a woman whose functioning is impaired during her period days can still pursue any profession she wishes to. Similarly, women can be paid as much as men and also be offered flexibility in the form of period leave or work from home options. The two are not mutually exclusive. It is important that every decision is not viewed as a trade-off just because a woman is at the centre of it. After all, there is absolutely no evidence to suggest that a woman who functions sub-optimally during her period days (I know I do) cannot also be an overall high performer in any walk of life.
The broader and more critical issue here, however, is not about whether to give period leave or not because frankly, this debate pertains to barely six per cent of the women employed in the country’s formal sector. It is about whether or not we aspire to make our workplaces and society in general more sensitive to the requirements of others which might not be the same as ours. Whether it is an individual suffering from a panic attack, a person with a disability or a woman experiencing an uncomfortable period, empathy is critical if we wish to promote diversity and inclusion.
Yes, it is a “normal biological experience.” But menstruation is also a globally recognised public health challenge which severely disrupts the lives of millions of women across the world, including India. Unfortunately, it does become a “monumental event” for girls who have to drop out of school once they reach puberty; for migrant women labourers who often end up walking long distances during their period without access to water, toilets and pads; for women with disabilities who struggle with the dual problem of practising safe menstruation while also relying on caregivers for assistance; for women from underprivileged backgrounds who deliberately limit their food and water intake month after month during their periods so that they do not require a toilet frequently; for female health workers who have to wear personal protective gear and work during their periods as well as for women who are made to feel ashamed of this “normal biological experience”.
By all means, oppose period leave if you wish but trivialising the disruptions caused by menstruation as much ado about nothing is deeply flawed. Prime Minister Narendra Modi mentioning menstrual health in his Independence Day address to the nation will hopefully contribute to defeating the stigma associated with a process many people in the country still hesitate to even name. But there is a lot more that needs to be done. Instead of trivialising the experience, we need strong voices like Ms Dutt to harness the power of their reach to advocate for access to environmentally friendly and affordable sanitary napkins for all women, facilities for safe disposal of menstrual hygiene products, gender-friendly toilets (including for people with disabilities), and most crucially, a mindset change.