Allow women to be absent from work in the event of painful periods, without loss of salary: the idea is gaining ground in France, where deputies are preparing bills to try to create menstrual leave, a few months after the adoption of this device in Spain.
A few French companies already offer their employees the possibility of taking “periodic leave”. The furniture manufacturer Louis Design thus offers additional paid vacation days to those who suffer from painful periods.
Recently, the municipality of Saint-Ouen, in Seine-Saint-Denis, launched the experiment of a menstrual leave for its agents suffering from pain or endometriosis.
“We must not stop at individual initiatives, this device must be able to be generalized for all women who need it”, comments to AFP Sébastien Peytavie, ecologist deputy.
With the deputies of his party Marie-Charlotte Garin and Sandrine Rousseau, he launched a consultation on the subject with feminist associations, representatives of the medical world and that of the company. Objective: to draft a bill to create compensated menstrual leave, without a waiting day, while respecting medical secrecy. The text must be tabled on May 26.
PS deputies Mickaël Bouloux and Fatiha Keloua Hachi also conducted a series of hearings on their side with a view to the same objective.
“It’s the right time to make this bill in France, the interest in the subject is very strong, the population is ready”, estimates with AFP Fatiha Keloua Hachi, who wishes to deposit the text “the most quickly as possible”.
For Aline Boeuf, a doctoral student at the University of Geneva, this is a subject that is still struggling to establish itself, particularly in the world of work.
“Feminine experiences, such as menstruation, pregnancy or menopause, are not yet taken into account” by employers, she underlines. In addition to menstrual leave, providing toilets with garbage cans and sinks in the cabins as well as rest areas could improve the daily lives of employees, according to her.
Additional leave for some could lead to “disorganization” within small businesses, however, worries the Confederation of SMEs (CPME). In addition, “women do not all experience this menstrual period in the same way, those who need it can be arrested” by a doctor, points out its vice-president, Stéphanie Pauzat.
Similar story on the side of Medef, which says it is opposed to menstrual leave. Such a measure “would convey the image that women cannot occupy the same positions as men”, notes the employers’ organization.
Feminist associations are also worried about a possible backlash. Creating menstrual leave could result in employment discrimination against women.
“It’s a good idea to find an emergency solution for women who have painful periods or endometriosis, but we have to address the problem as a whole,” says Maud Leblon, director of the association Rules Elementary, who fights against menstrual precariousness and the taboo of menstruation.
In particular, she mentions the need to “know better” and “better take charge of” the pathologies that affect women, such as endometriosis.
It is estimated that one woman in ten suffers from this inflammatory and chronic gynecological disease, which can manifest itself in heavy periods and violent pain.
“Women’s health has long remained taboo and ignored,” said Isabelle Rome, Minister Delegate for Equality between Women and Men, in a statement sent to AFP. “It is imperative that it never again be a source of precariousness or an obstacle to the reconciliation between personal life and professional life”.
In January, the government launched a national strategy to fight endometriosis, which includes a research program endowed with several million euros.
Regarding the initiatives of deputies aimed at creating menstrual leave, “we will be able to decide” when the proposals have been tabled “and that we will have visibility on their content”, indicated the minister.