Menstrual leave would raise awareness about ‘taboo’ subject and create a more productive workforce, say experts
Although more than half (52 per cent) of women have experienced menstrual cramps so severe that it affected their ability to work, new figures reveals that just 27 per cent would tell their manager.
Almost a third of the 52 per cent who said their ability to work had been affected by period pain had taken at least a day’s sick leave as a result, according to the poll of 1,000 women conducted by YouGov for BBC Radio 5 Live's Emma Barnett programme.
Jemima Olchawski, head of policy and insight at women’s rights charity The Fawcett Society, said: “Women have periods; it's a fact of life and it's time we conquered the taboo and made it easier for women to talk about. This research makes clear the impact periods can have on women's working lives. Once we start taking this seriously and acknowledging the impact it has we can start to properly support women – they shouldn't have to suffer in silence.”
Period pain is extremely common, with 90 per cent of women reported suffering with it at some point. Dr Imogen Shaw, a GP specialising in women’s healthcare, said the issue would be taken more seriously if men experienced it, and there was a lack of understanding around what period pain is and how severe it can be.
Consultant gynaecologist Dr Gedis Grudzinskas said employers need to become more accommodating and understanding of the problem. “Menstruation is normal, but some women suffer terribly and they suffer in silence. I don't think women should be shy about it, and companies should be accommodating with leave for women who are struggling with painful periods,” he said.
Grudzinskas also suggested more employers should offer menstrual leave to female staff, which is already in place in Japan. He said organisations that do so are likely to be rewarded with a more productive workforce. “People forget that women make up half the workforce. If [employees] feel supported, they will be happier and more productive,” he added.
Bristol-based community interest firm Coexist introduced a ‘period policy’ earlier this year to allow sufferers to stay at home without having to produce a sick note. The only caveat is employees must make up any missed time. The company, which has a largely female workforce, was the first UK employer to introduce this policy.
John Guillebaud, a professor of reproductive health at University College London, told the Independent in February that, for some women, period pain can feel as “bad as having a heart attack”.
He added: “It hasn’t been given the centrality it should have. I do believe it’s something that should be taken care of, like anything else in medicine.”