Women who are suffering from menstrual pains will be eligible for a menstrual leave in Spain once the proposed law is approved.
The Spanish government is set to approve legislation allowing working women to take “menstrual leave” for three days per month.
The new law, however, comes with a twist, whereas only ladies who are suffering from painful periods will be eligible for the leave.
“It is important to clarify what a painful period is, we are not talking about a slight discomfort, but about serious symptoms such as diarrhea, severe headaches, fever,” Ángela Rodríguez, the Secretary for Equality, said.
“Symptoms that when there is a disease that entails them, a temporary disability is granted, therefore the same should happen with menstruation and that there is the possibility that if a woman has a very painful period, she can stay home.”
Similar laws were reportedly already implemented in several other countries including Japan, Indonesia, South Korea, and Zambia.
Under the reform, the government will also eradicate VAT from sanitary pads and tampons while providing financially struggling females with free sanitary products.
Furthermore, schools will be required to provide sanitary products to students who require them.
In a move that raised some eyebrows, the Spanish government also ruled that girls who are 16 or 17 years old will no longer need their parents’ permission to undergo an abortion.
“The rights related to menstrual health have never been discussed and the data is chilling. One in four women cannot choose the feminine hygiene products she wants to buy for financial reasons. That is why we propose that they can be dispensed free of charge in educational and social centers,” Rodríguez told El Periodico.
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