Opinion: Give Us Period Leaves Instead of Flowers & Chocolates!

Even today, many women are worried about being called 'delicate', 'dramatic' or 'oversharing' by their colleagues, so they continue to suffer in silence.

International Women’s Day 2022: As a woman, I absolutely dread going to office when I am on my periods.  Pretending to be fine, while you feel like a thousand knives constantly stabbing you in the stomach is no mean feat. No matter what those mindless ads for sanitary pads tell you, periods definitely are not as easy breezy as some men might think. From body ache, nausea, constipation, abdominal cramps, headache, mood swings, anxiety–periods are literally the biggest nightmare for a woman. And yet we hide it all under a smile, pretending to be brave when we all want is to curl up inside a blanket.

More exasperating is the fact is when you need to take a leave from office, saying, ‘unwell today’ and having to answer concerned questions about your health when all you wanted to say, ‘On my period.’ Even today, many women are worried about being called ‘delicate’, ‘dramatic’ or ‘oversharing’ by their colleagues, so they continue to suffer in silence. So why is this still a topic of shame and taboo? Periods should be taken seriously. And they are totally normal.

Women’s Pain Has Always Been Ignored

Since time immemorial, women’s pain has been ignored and their health problems are under-researched. Data suggests that around 80% of women experience period pains. In 2017, doctors even described period pain to heart attack-like symptoms, however our society is yet to accept and understand its gravity. This stigma also manifests greatly in workplaces where the talk of having to take an off because of periods is humiliating for many. In absence of a period leave, women rely heavily on painkillers because skipping office due to a ‘simple’ problem would just be ‘making bahana’.

I still remember that day a few years back, when I just couldn’t just get out of bed because of the debilitating period pain. Of course, I was in no condition to go to work. When I informed about the same to my boss, she conveniently ignored my pain and asked me to pop a pill and come to office. That’s when I realized that as women, we have been conditioned to ignore our pain.

We Deserve Period Leaves

Women are not superhumans who need to soldier on, when their own bodies rage a war against them. We rightfully demand and deserve period leaves. Taking an off on our periods doesn’t mean we are weak.

Despite all the social media brouhaha, only a handful of companies in India are even considering period leaves, while others choose to significantly dismiss it. Meanwhile, several countries across the globe already have official menstrual leave policies in place. So, to all the HRs of the country, why not give us period leaves instead of flowers, chocolates and freebies? Not only that would help shatter taboos around the topic that literally affects half of human race, but it would also foster inclusiveness. More so, period leaves would also give voice to women who go through excruciatingly difficult periods without getting shamed about it.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of India.com. The writer is solely responsible for any claims arising out of the contents of this article.)