A Global Analysis of Menstruation-Friendly Working Practices Through an Evaluation of International Examples
Abstract
Gender equality is a key issue and an important element of basic human rights, especially when it comes to the workplace. Labor laws often fail to address the specific challenges women face, like menstruation and menopause. This study focuses on how menstruation is treated in labor law, with a spotlight on international practices around menstrual leave. It looks at the purpose behind these national legislation-policies, how legal frameworks differ, and how the literature evaluates the function of these institutions. The aim of the paper is to provide useful insights for future lawmakers, social partners, drawing lessons from Spain – the only EU country with such a policy – Japan, Indonesia, Taiwan and other national examples, showing how menstrual leave can support women’s wellbeing at work. The research focuses only on the legal aspects of these menstrual leave policies, which is a very rare aspect in the literature.
Keywords:
menstruation, Japan, Spain, Indonesia, labor lawSupporting Agencies:
Supported by the University Research Scholarship Program (EKÖP) of the Ministry for Culture and Innovation from the source of the National Research, Development and Innovation Fund.References
Asboth, Beatrix. “Menstruacios szabadsag – peldak a nagyvilagbol.” Euronews, May 26, 2022. Accessed January 31, 2025. https://hu.euronews.com/2022/05/26/menstruacios-szabadsag-peldak-a-nagyvilagbol.
Baird, Marian, Elizabeth Hill, and Sydney Colussi. “Mapping Menstrual Leave Legislation and Policy Historically and Globally: A Labor Entitlement to Reinforce, Remedy, or Revolutionize Gender Equality at Work?.” Comparative Labor Law & Policy Journal 42, no. 1 (2021): 187–225.
Bernardi, Mariagiulia, Lucia Lazzeri, Federica Perelli, Fernando M. Reis, and Felice Petraglia. “Dysmenorrhea and Related Disorders.” F1000Research, no. 6 (2017): 1645. https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.11682.1. (Crossref)
Dan, Alice J. “The Law and Women’s Bodies: The Case of Menstruation Leave in Japan.” Healthcare for Women International, no. 1–2 (1986): 1–14. (Crossref)
Hashimy, Sayed Qudrat. “The Legal Paradigm of Menstrual Leaves Policy in the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Afghanistan.” Journal of Disease and Global Health 16, no. 1 (2023): 16–22. (Crossref)
Hennegan, Julie, Alexandra K. Shannon, Jennifer Rubli, Kellogg J. Schwab, and G.J. Melendez-Torres. “Women’s and Girls’ Experiences of Menstruation in Low- And Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review and Qualitative Metasynthesis.” PLoS Medicine 16, no. 5 (2019): 31–8. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1002803. (Crossref)
Huet, Natalie. “Spain’s Menstrual Leave: The Countries That Have Already Tried and Tested Days off for Period Pain.” Euronews, May 13, 2022. Accessed January 31, 2025. https://www.euronews.com/next/2022/05/13/spain-s-menstrual-leavethe-countries-that-have-already-tried-and-tested-days-off-for-peri.
de la Iglesia Aza, Lidia, and Bernadett Solymosi-Szekeres. “La menstruacion en el entorno laboral.” Lan Harremanak – Revista De Relaciones Laborales 51, (2024): 58–89. https://doi.org/10.1387/lan-harremanak.26149. (Crossref)
“Issue of Menstrual Leave for Women.” Drishti, July 11, 2024. Accessed January 31, 2025. https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/issue-ofmenstrual-leave-for-women.
Jackson, Isabel. “A Year on from Spain’s Menstrual Leave Law – What Have We Learned?.” People Management, June 10, 2024. Accessed January 31, 2025. https://www.peoplemanagement.co.uk/article/1876316/year-spains-menstrualleave-law-%E2%80%93-learned.
Kashero-Ondego, Rizichi, and Njeri Wagacha. “The Concept of Menstrual Leave.”Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr, May 2, 2023. Accessed January 31, 2025. https://www.cliffedekkerhofmeyr.com/en/news/publications/2023/Practice/Employment/employment-law-alert-2-may-2023-the-concept-of-menstrual-leave.html.
King, Sally. “Menstrual Leave: Good Intention, Poor Solution.” In Aligning Perspectives in Gender Mainstreaming, edited by Juliet Hassard and Luis D. Torres, 151–76. Cham: Springer, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-53269-7_9. (Crossref)
Levitt, Rachel B., and Jessica L. Barnack-Tavlaris. “Addressing Menstruation in the Workplace: The Menstrual Leave Debate.” In The Palgrave Handbook of Critical Menstruation Studies, edited by Chris Bobel, Inga T. Winkler, Breanne Fahs, Katie Ann Hasson, Elizabeth Arveda Kissling, and Tomi-Ann Roberts, 561–77. Singapore: Palgrave Macmillan, 2020. (Crossref)
Momigliano, Anna. “Giving Italian Women ‘Menstrual Leave’ May Backfire on Their Job Prospects.” Washington Post, March 24, 2017. Accessed January 31, 2025. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2017/03/24/givingitalian-women-menstrual-leave-may-backfire-on-their-job-prospects/.
Mizsur, Andras. “Menstruacios szabadsag bevezeteset tervezik Spanyolorszagban, harom nap jarna a fajdalmaktol szenvedő nőknek.” Telex, May 12, 2022. Accessed January 31, 2025. https://telex.hu/kulfold/2022/05/12/spanyolorszagmenstruacios-szabadsag-torvenytervezet. (Crossref)
Ortega Villegas, Maria Nayeli. “Menstrual Leave in Mexico: Implications of the Initiative Proposed by Mexico City Congress.” Medscape, March 28, 2023. Accessed January 31, 2025. https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/990188?form=fpf.
Pearson, Jessica and Morgan, Michelle. “Menstrual Leave in the Workplace.” Shoosmiths, September 8, 2023. Accessed January 31, 2025. https://www.shoosmiths.com/insights/articles/menstrual-leave-in-the-workplace.
Perez Del Prado, Daniel. “Women’s Health and Labour Law.” September 2024. Accessed January 31, 2025. https://www.roudou-kk.co.jp/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/%E5%AD%A3%E5%88%8A%E5%8A%B4%E5%83%8D%E6%B3%-95286%E6%8E%B2%E8%BC%89%E3%80%8C%E5%A5%B3%E6%80%A7%E3%81%AE%E5%81%A5%E5%BA%B7%E3%81%A8%E5%8A%B4%E5%83%8D%E6%B3%95%E3%80%8D%E3%83%80%E3%83%8B%E3%82%A8%E3%83%AB%E3%83%BB%E3%83%9A%E3%83%AC%E3%82%BA%E3%83%BB%E3%83%87%E3%83%AB%E3%83%BB%E3%83%97%E3%83%A9%E3%83%89%E6%B0%8F-%E5%8E%9F%E6%96%87%E5%8E%9F%E7%A8%BF.pdf.
de Presno, Jorge, and David Puente. “The Congress Of Mexico City Approves The Proposal For ‘Menstrual Leave’.” Basham, March 6, 2023. Accessed January 31, 2025. https://basham.com.mx/congress-of-the-cdmx-approves-the-proposal-for-menstrual-leave.
Price, Hilary H. “Periodic Leave: An Analysis of Menstrual Leave as a Legal Workplace Benefit.” Oklahoma Law Review 74, no. 2 (2022): 187–224.
Worley, Will. “The Country Where All Women Get a Day Off Because of Their Period.” Independent, January 4, 2017. Accessed January 31, 2025. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/zambia-period-day-off-women-menstruation-law-gender-womens-rights-a7509061.html.
University of Miskolc https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9133-4732
