National Council of Applied Economic Research
Opinion: Ravi Gupta.
If menstrual leave is made compulsory, it would further discourage employers from hiring female employees, causing women’s participation in work to shrink further.
While the impact of the menstrual cycle varies for every female, the discomfort it brings may heavily affect their efficiency as workers. If a female employee already going through problems like PCOD or PCOS, work-related stress may make it even worse, which may eventually translate to more complex issues like infertility, diabetes, or even heart disease. Monthly paid menstrual leave may help them cope better at work and may bring in efficiency.
However, economic and societal pressure already work against wome. There is a risk that implementing paid menstrual leave might hinder rather than empower women, apart from likely impacting only a handful in the formal sector, and neglecting the majority in the informal and unorganised workforce.
Data from the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) highlights the post-Covid feminisation of agriculture, with over 85% employed in the unorganised sector where existing government rules are seldom adhered to. In the formal sector, women are notably underrepresented, encountering bias during hiring, leading to difficulties securing employment, which is why many women either accept lower-paying jobs or turn to care work.
Studies show that during economic distress, women are first in the line to lose jobs, the most distressing part of which is that when there are limited options to secure a job, men are perceived as better candidates. It is often seen that if two employees, with the same skill set and experience but of different genders, are candidates for a higher position, males are generally preferred as women are perceived to have household responsibilities that can impact their performance.
If the menstrual leave policy is enforced, it may further disincentivise employers to hire female employees owing to the additional burden of paid leave every month. Female employees are already burdened with care-work, wage gap, and underrepresentation; on top of that, employer bias against female employees would take a serious toll on female employment.
Japan, Spain, South Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia, and Zambia have adopted paid menstrual leave. Among these, Japan, Spain, South Korea, and Taiwan, belonging to the high-income group, might have faced different scenarios during implementation. On the other hand, Indonesia and Zambia are both from the Global South and in some respects similar to India.
In the cases of Indonesia and Zambia, discomfort linked to menstruation is evident, exacerbated by poor workplace hygiene and limited breaks during work shifts. Furthermore, there’s a prevailing doubt regarding whether workers taking leave actually get adequate rest, given the perception that household chores are ‘women’s responsibility’ persists.
Additionally, male counterparts might develop feelings of discontent if they suspect that female employees taking leave aren’t using it for rest. In Zambia, dissatisfaction among colleagues and employers arose when women on menstrual leave used this for personal matters instead of using it to cope with menstrual discomfort. This susceptibility can potentially lead to discrimination in the workplace. A mixed response to menstrual paid leave has been observed among the countries implementing this policy. It appears more beneficial for countries that are relatively affluent and have overcome social taboos associated with menstruation.
Certain Indian startups like Zomato, Swiggy, Byju’s, and Gozoop have adopted paid menstrual leave, positively addressing challenges related to women’s menstrual cycles. Encouraging other organisations to voluntarily adopt similar policies might be more effective than mandating it to all the organisations.
Nonetheless, the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) in India reflects a positive impact of the tax cut on sanitary pads announced on July 21, 2018 where GST on sanitary pads were reduced from 12% to 0%. It reveals a notable increase in women aged between 15 and 24 using hygienic menstrual sanitation products, rising from 57.6% to 77.3% between 2015-16 and 2019-21.
Moreover, there’s been a significant convergence between urban and rural women during this period. While in 2015-16, a considerable gap existed, with 48.2% of rural females aged 15 to 24 using hygienic methods compared to 77.5% of urban females, by 2019-21, this gap had significantly narrowed to 72.3% of rural females and 89.4% of urban females using hygienic methods.
Similar to the tax-cut policy, simpler interventions may play a more prominent role in addressing issues linked to menstruation. Mandating sanitary pads and tampon vending machines at workplaces and educational institutes may help female students and workers cope with their menstrual cycle. Comprehensive sex education, which covers menstrual cycle information, is crucial for both young girls and boys, especially in rural areas lacking menstrual sanitation facilities. Advocating the need for hygienic toilets would have a huge impact, helping more women and girls to attend work and education.
Furthermore, instead of obliging employers, the government could incentivise menstrual leave through tax exemptions for companies offering it or by introducing additional gender-neutral leave policies for all employees. Government aid, such as covering leave costs via Direct Benefit Transfer, could also be explored.
In the Indian context, menstrual paid leave may benefit only a minority of the female population in the short run and may have serious impact on female employment in the long run. To truly benefit from a menstrual paid leave policy, widespread awareness and the eradication of societal taboos associated with menstruation must be addressed.
Ravi Kumar Gupta, Research associate, National Council of Applied Economic Research
Views are personal