DCG posted: " Daily Mail: Women who suffer from period pains and feel
under the weather each month should get paid leave, a leading doctor has
suggested. Gedis Grudzinskas, professor of obstetrics and gynaecology,
believes 'menstrual leave' would boost women's mot" Respond to this post
by replying above this line
New post on *Fellowship of the Minds*
<http://fellowshipoftheminds.com/author/dcgere/> Forget maternity leave –
women should get PAID menstrual leave every month, says leading doctor
<http://fellowshipoftheminds.com/2014/12/04/forget-maternity-leave-women-should-get-paid-menstrual-leave-every-month-says-leading-doctor/>
by
DCG <http://fellowshipoftheminds.com/author/dcgere/>
[image: The whacky professor...]
<https://fellowshipofminds.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/gedis.jpg>
The whacky professor...
Daily Mail
<http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2857096/Forget-maternity-leave-women-PAID-menstrual-leave-month-men-just-lump-leading-doctor-claims.html>:
*Women who suffer from period pains and feel under the weather each month
should get paid leave, a leading doctor has suggested. * Gedis Grudzinskas,
professor of obstetrics and gynaecology, *believes 'menstrual leave' would
boost women's motivation and productivity when they are in the workplace*.
*He even goes as far as to question if a woman were to accidentally become
pregnant, should her employer pay for the termination* - although concedes
that 'society is unlikely to be ready for that'.
Mr Grudzinskas, formerly of St Bartholomew's Hospital in London - and who
now practices in Harley Street - is a leading international figure in the
field of Reproductive Medicine, Surgery and Obstetrics.
Explaining his reasoning, he told MailOnline: *'Some women feel really
grotty when menstruating. Coming into work is a struggle and they feel
lousy.* When you feel like that, it's harder to take pride in your work or
perform as well. This is about employers being sensible and aware.'
Like maternity leave, *he proposes the menstrual leave should not interfere
with career progression or structure*. 'It would be one to three days each
month, separate to sick leave entitlement – it is not sickness, after all.'
Menstrual leave is already recognised in some countries in Asia, such as
Japan and Indonesia. The concept is believed to have started in Japan in
the early 20th century.
Writing in the journal Health Care for Women International, Alice J. Dan,
of the University of Illinois, explains that menstruation leave first
emerged as an issue in the 1920s and 1930s when employed women were mostly
young, and working conditions for them were difficult. 'The lack of
adequate sanitary facilities and materials made management of menstruation
especially difficult for factory and transportation workers,' she said.
As a result, it was bus conductors and textile workers who were among the
first workers to request menstruation leave. 'Since the majority of
women workers were under 21 and unmarried, menstruation leave had a broader
appeal than maternity leave,' she adds.
In Japan, legislation passed in 1947 permitted leave for any woman who
'suffered heavily' with menstruation or the work was 'injurious to her body
during menstruation'. However it does not specify the number of days or
whether the leave is to be paid. There was also a belief that taking leave
while menstruating prevented problems during pregnancy and childbirth, such
as miscarriage and premature labour. However the number of women taking up
menstrual leave over the years declined.
Ms Dan said reasons for this include the average age of women workers
increasing - with older women having less need for the leave - and
ambitious, career-minded women becoming increasingly concerned that taking
it could harm their career prospects.
Taiwan's current menstrual leave legislation *guarantees female workers
three days of menstrual leave a year*, in addition to the 30 days of
half-paid sick leave allotted to all workers. Indonesian women are entitled
to take two days a month of menstrual leave, though many companies simply
ignore the law, and others have even been accused of forcing women to
'prove' their need for time off, some reports have claimed. The concept is
also being discussed in Canada. However when the issue was debated last
year in the Russian Parliament, it caused uproar and was thrown out.
Women's rights activists in the country reacted with anger to proposals by
Mikhail Degtyaryov, a member of the nationalist LDPR party, who proposed
the draft law to increase the protection of women at the workplace. 'During
that period, most women experience psychological and physiological
discomfort,' said Mr Degtyaryov, 32, who is married with two sons. *The
pain for the fair sex is often so intense that it is necessary to call an
ambulance.*'
But human rights campaigners dismissed Mr Degtyaryov's idea as sexist. The
matter reared its head recently at the Festival of Ideas in Cambridge.
Mr Grudzinskas, who was on the panel, said: *'We heard from one man in the
audience that women in a particular work-place in Indonesia were all absent
on the same days. * Was this menstrual synchrony - where the women
experience their menstrual cycle at the same time? No one knows, *but the
wife of the employer stumbled upon these ladies shopping together in the
local mall*.'
'*He devised a plan where women were offered a bonus payment if they worked
while menstruating - effectively a menstrual bonus.* This resulted in full
attendance in this workplace - I think it's brilliant - this boss is a
smart cookie.'
Mr Grudzinskas told MailOnline: 'The issue goes back 100 years when
sanitary and hygiene facilities were different, when opportunities for
women to look after themselves while menstruating were simply not
there. *'Today,
the issue is about enlightenment - that is what interests me. *Menstrual
leave will make people feel more happy and comfortable in the workplace,
which is a positive thing.'
He cites further examples of 'enlightenment' as Google, Facebook and Apple
proposing egg freezing for female employees who are worried about their
biological clocks. 'These employers are being sensible and looking after
the wishes of modern women in the workplace,' he said. 'And what many
people forget is - women make up half the workforce. If they feel
supported, they will be a happy and productive workforce. Maternity leave
is just part of the deal.'
So how would menstrual leave work, exactly? Would a woman have to prove she
was menstruating? 'I don't think women should be shy about it,' said Mr
Grudzinskas. 'There *should be no proof needed - employers should take it
on good faith.*' He added: 'It's not a case of policing, it's about taking
it on face value. Over time, records will show is there is a pattern of
cycles, and so on.'
And what of the critics who argue some women would abuse the system? 'I see
it as an indication of how employers can be sensible to women in the
workplace – and keep them there,' he told MailOnline. 'I am not suggesting
the UK advocates it - but we could work out how to do it. If you want to
keep everyone happy in the workplace, don't do Big Brother stuff, like CCTV
in the toilets, just be fair and respect people and use your judgement.'
*And what about men, who will question why women should get up to 36 days
of paid leave a year?* 'Because,' he said. *'Do you want a cup of tea when
you get home in the evening?* Do you want your wife to be in pain?'
'It's not men who have to get pregnant, go through IVF and childbirth. 'Men
will just have to understand.'
He also praises recent egg freezing initiatives proposed by Apple and
Google for female staff. He said: 'Apple and Google have done nothing more
than acknowledge that women can and should manage their reproductive health
and well being as they see fit, whether it is the contraceptive pill,
having a termination of pregnancy for social reasons or exploiting IVF
technology. 'Google should be applauded for its initiative.
'Will we soon hear about employers offering to pay for termination of
pregnancy if unwittingly conceived in the workplace? 'Or is this a step
too far for the nerds of Silicon Valley?'
He added that all the changes in women's fertility and reproduction that
came in the second half of the 20th century brought about considerable
change and also caused a great deal of comment.
'The launch of the contraceptive Pill in 1961 has been described as the
most significant medical advance of the 20th century and it was followed by
the Abortion Act of 1967,' he said. 'These changes were all hotly debated
at the time of their introduction but they have made an enormous change to
women's ability to follow a career. '
[image: special snowflake]
<https://fellowshipofminds.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/special-snowflake.jpg>
DCG
*DCG <http://fellowshipoftheminds.com/author/dcgere/>* | December 4, 2014
at 4:00 am | Categories: abortion
<http://fellowshipoftheminds.com/?cat=13538>, Culture War
<http://fellowshipoftheminds.com/?cat=20812>, Health Care
<http://fellowshipoftheminds.com/?cat=20052>, professors and intellectuals
<http://fellowshipoftheminds.com/?cat=257074353>, Radical feminists
<http://fellowshipoftheminds.com/?cat=282535108> | URL:
http://wp.me/pKuKY-sJS
Comment
<http://fellowshipoftheminds.com/2014/12/04/forget-maternity-leave-women-should-get-paid-menstrual-leave-every-month-says-leading-doctor/#respond>
See all comments
<http://fellowshipoftheminds.com/2014/12/04/forget-maternity-leave-women-should-get-paid-menstrual-leave-every-month-says-leading-doctor/#comments>
Unsubscribe
<https://subscribe.wordpress.com/?key=7f89380f46003915c34c2cdd2b126a38&email=bovinescatologists%40gmail.com&b=scuUxNMNDi%5DNJdUQ%7EvbIJ2bGpOA-%260%2BTR3OgTX%26KlzGI%3D%3D1r4>
to no longer receive posts from Fellowship of the Minds.
Change your email settings at Manage Subscriptions
<https://subscribe.wordpress.com/?key=7f89380f46003915c34c2cdd2b126a38&email=bovinescatologists%40gmail.com>.
*Trouble clicking?* Copy and paste this URL into your browser:
http://fellowshipoftheminds.com/2014/12/04/forget-maternity-leave-women-should-get-paid-menstrual-leave-every-month-says-leading-doctor/
Thanks for flying with WordPress.com <http://wordpress.com>
--
--
Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups.
For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum
* Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/
* It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls.
* Read the latest breaking news, and more.
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
"PoliticalForum" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email
to [email protected].
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
