Recently, I had really bad cramps, also known as dysmenorrhea, at work. My job demands being on your feet at all times and moving around a lot. Enter me, carrying two four-litre milk jugs in each hand, subsequently kneeling down and contorting my body to try to store them at the back of the fridge while avoiding my coworker’s legs. I almost wanted to plop down on the floor at that moment because of the pain I was in — it felt like my uterus wanted me dead. I thought to myself, if only I would’ve been allowed to stay home and ride out the pain in a safer, comfier place, that would’ve made a big difference. For women in countries that allow menstrual leave, that’s doable.
Menstrual leave allows people undergoing menstruation to take time off work if their symptoms are making it difficult to perform their duties. I’m lucky that my bad periods only go as far as heavy cramping and fatigue, but for other people, symptoms can include nausea, migraines, and diarrhea, among other severe effects. It makes sense to me why offering the ability to ride out one’s period and not go to work for even a day or two makes sense; having a bad period day can be very physically taxing after all. The first time I heard menstrual leave was a thing, I had two thoughts: one, that makes so much sense and two, why don’t we have it in Canada?Â
Imagine how blown away I was to learn that Japan introduced menstrual leave all the way back in 1947, and that currently, other countries including Spain, South Korea, and as of 2024 Mexico, offer this benefit. Credit where credit is due, there are some Canadian employers that offer menstrual leave, such is the case of nixit and DIVA. These period product companies founded in Canada offer their employees period-specific paid time off from work. Still, there is no official recognition within the Canadian Labour Code that specifically covers menstrual leave. If you want to take a day off work due to feeling ill because of your period, it’s going to be taken from your personal sick days or vacation hours.
I believe it is important to recognize that periods can affect people very differently, and that being sick is very different from having a period. This is why having a system that enables people to take time to care for their health when going through menstruation is important. Actually, saying it is important may be putting it lightly — I think it is essential.Â
It is refreshing to learn about more initiatives being created to encourage menstrual health, and I think that offering menstrual leave is something that has the potential to help people with periods feel more supported. I am aware that the details and logistics on how menstrual leave could be offered by law in Canada is something that we’ll have to discover if and when it’s ever implemented, but using Japan as an example, being able to take up to three days of menstrual leave per month when needed sounds reasonable to me.Â
Sadly, I also think there would have to be a lot of reform made to perceive menstrual leave as something that makes sense and is done in the interest of good health, rather than something that may just cause more discrimination against people who menstruate. I hate to admit it, but I can also see this having a cobra effect and causing employers to favour hiring non-menstruating employees over employees that do to avoid having to offer paid menstrual leave.Â
This is why I believe there are many changes that need to happen, and I think one of them is to start seeing employees as people. If a person you know and love is feeling unwell, wouldn’t you like them to take the day off and care for their health? Wouldn’t it make sense to you to be able to provide that support? We need to start caring for everyone as individuals. We need more menstrual support for women and people with periods. We need a system that recognizes, respects, and provides menstrual leave.
