A Jaipur-based apparel company recently announced period leaves for its women employees, bringing the discussion back to the point if such leaves support women’s participation in the workforce or pose impediments.
Jaipurkurti.com, the e-commerce and retail brand, has said granting the leave– one per month over and above regular holidays and leaves– has a few objectives. With about 60 percent of its workforce being women, the NSE-listed company aims to celebrate womanhood, achieve equality at the workplace and create a healthy work environment.
Jaipurkurti joins the list of companies in India like Zomato, Grofers, Horses Stable News, Gozoop Online Pvt Ltd, FlyMyBiz, and Culture Machine that grant period leaves to its employees.
Period leaves are a government-backed policy in countries like Indonesia, South Korea, Taiwan, and Zambia. In a first in India, three years ago, an MP from Arunachal Pradesh tabled The Menstruation Benefit Bill seeking paid menstrual leave, in the Lok Sabha.
Why period leaves?
A study by the British Medical Journal (BMJ) links cramps and heavy bleeding during periods to almost nine days of lost productivity for a woman every year. According to BMJ, women take time off from work, school, calling themselves sick because of their periods. The study also states that more than 50% of women experience pain and trauma during their menstrual days.
Menstrual leave is not a new concept in India. In 1912, a school in Kerala offered period leaves for girl students.
How it helps
There have been a lot of arguments in favor of menstrual leaves. An observation is that such leaves increase the productivity of a workplace, as they will be motivated to perform better in a company that understands their needs. It also supports talent retention, attracting talent that will want to continue in the workplace that practices values that align with theirs. As a result, the company saves costs in the absence of attrition and eventually benefits immensely from a diverse workforce.
Comes with a catch
However, experts have contested the idea behind such leaves. Some believe that implementing such a policy would engender bias in promoting or employing women due to the reduced hours of work. Some also feel that a portion of women might misuse the policy.
However, if the idea is to improve women’s participation in the workforce, period leaves, as per experts, are low on priority when compared to second career programs for women who have been on breaks, maternity support, and gender pay equality, and improving representation at the leadership levels.
Finally, period leaves can only be a true enabler when the organization’s workforce has a healthy percentage of women, like in the case of Jaipurkurti.
