Table Of ContentMenstrual Leave Debate: Opportunity to Address
Inclusivity in Indian Organizations
Jyothsna Latha Belliappa
Introduction
Menstrual leave raises a number
While legislation in several coun-
of questions regarding women’s
tries across Asia (including Indonesia,
health, workforce participation
Japan, Taiwan and South Korea) pro-
and gender equity at work. This
motes paid menstrual leave for
paper addresses the issue in the
women1, the issue arose only recently
context of urban women in the
in India when Culture Machine, a me-
organized workforce. Their ac-
dia start-up in Mumbai introduced a
cess to clean, safe toilets at work
policy of giving women leave on the
and at home puts them at a rela-
First day of (their) Period (popularly
tive advantage compared to
called “FOP Leave”) in July 2017
women in the unorganized sector.
(Blush Originals, 2017). Soon after, the
Menstrual leave policies, though
Kerala based Media company
well-intentioned, could have
Mathrubhoomi followed suit and pri-
negative consequences for gen-
vate (unaided) schools in Kerala insti-
der equity and need to be de-
tuted a similar policy for teachers
ployed with caution. The debate
(NDTV, 2017).Culture Machine also
on the policy has raised impor-
began an online petition asking the Min-
tant issues related to how work-
istries of Human Resource Develop-
places can be more inclusive of
ment and Women and Child Develop-
women’s bodies. It is suggested
ment to make FOP leave the law. At
that discussions on gender
the time of writing this article a private
inclusivity must take into account
member’s bill has been tabled in Par-
the intersection of gender with
liament proposing two days leave ev-
age, class and position in the or-
ery month for menstruating women.
ganizational hierarchy.
1 Research suggests that compliance with the
legislation is patchy with some companies ignoring
Jyothsna Latha Belliappa (E-mail:j.belliappa@ the law and others giving it only request.http://
gmail.com) is Faculty, Srishti Institute of Art, Design workspace.unpan.org/sites/internet/Documents/
and Technology, Bangalore. UNPAN96599.pdf
604 The Indian Journal of Industrial Relations, Vol. 53, No. 4, April 2018
Menstrual Leave Debate
Media Debate struation will continue to remain in pub-
lic discourse in India.
The media debate around FOP leave
is the latest in a series of social and ad-
It is likely that menstruation will
vertising campaigns that seek to address
continue to remain in public dis-
taboos around menstruation. In 2015 an
course in India.
online and offline campaign was
launched, Happy to Bleed, which sought
to break the secrecy and stigma against Following Culture Machine’s much
acknowledging one’s period in public publicized institution of FOP leave, there
(Sanghani, 2015). It began in response was intense debate in the media with
to comments by a priest at the Sabrimalai some welcoming the move as an impor-
temple reiterating the temple’s policy of tant step in supporting women who suf-
not allowing women of reproductive age fer from pain and discomfort during their
to enter due to the concern that they periods while others decrying it as a re-
might be having their period. Another gressive step that would limit women’s
campaign Pads Against Sexism initiated hard-won right to equal treatment at
in Germany and taken up by students in work and inhibit their recruitment (as
Jamia Milia Islamia, New Delhi and companies might view them as less pro-
other universities across the country at- ductive than their male peers). Interest-
tempted to break the secrecy around ingly, both those for the legislation and
menstruation and address age old cultural those against claim that having one’s
taboos against discussing one’s body in monthly period is ‘natural’, and not a
public (Sarfaraz, 2015). cause of embarrassment. Obviously, the
arguments that they make following this
The popular sanitary napkin brand claim are different.
Whisper recently ran an advertising
campaign against taboos associated with Since the Maternity Benefits Act
menstruation (not playing sport, staying (2017) has recently been amended to in-
indoors) and questioning traditional su- crease maternity leave from 12 to 26
perstitions such as banning a menstru- weeks, there is concern that giving
ating woman from touching pickles. The women multiple types of paid leave will
soon to be released Bollywood film cause resentment amongst men. Rachel
Padman starring actor Akshay Kumar Chitra (2017) writing in the Times of In-
(a biopic of Arunachalam Muruga- dia and Somya Abrol (2017) in India To-
nantham who created an award winning day quote several women (and men) from
low cost sanitary pad for the Indian the corporate sector who oppose the
market) also addresses menstrual policy arguing that it would undermine the
stigma. The film’s marketing campaigns cause of gender equality. Mitsu Sahay
feature the producer and actors advo- (2017) makes a similar argument on the
cating open discussions about menstrua- popular digital platform ‘Feminism in In-
tion. Therefore, It is likely that men- dia’.
The Indian Journal of Industrial Relations, Vol. 53, No. 4, April 2018 605
Jyothsna Latha Belliappa
Well-known journalist Barkha Dutt and emotions such as irritability and tear-
(2017) strongly opposed the policy de- fulness associated with pre-menstrual
scribing it as ‘goofy’ and ‘paternalistic’. syndrome (PMS) as some of the symp-
Claiming that she covered the 1999 Kargil toms that interfere with their perfor-
war whilst having her period, she argued mance at work (Blush Originals, 2017).
that the policy would prompt a backlash One employee claims, “I’m a dictator on
and undermine those women who are try- the first day of my period.”; another
ing to enter professional roles to which states, “The worst thing someone can do
they have been traditionally denied ac- [during my period] is talk.” While any
cess: military combat for instance. Tak- workplace might have (both male and
ing Dutt’s point further it could be ar- female) dictatorial managers, associating
gued from a feminist perspective that the such behavior with PMS furthers stereo-
policy reinforces biological essentialism2 types about women’s supposed emotion-
which has been used to socially and eco- ality, which have historically been used
nomically marginalize women. to limit their access to positions of re-
sponsibility and authority. Culture
In the American context, similar ar- Machine’s video thus strengthens patri-
guments have been made (Zillman, 2017; archal biases by positioning menstruat-
Waldman, 2017). When a UK based or- ing women as hysterical and irrational.
ganization, Coexist, instituted it last year
commentators voiced concerns that it Those in favor of period leave argue
would inhibit recruitment of women and that it is a mark of an organization’s sen-
negatively affect productivity and profit- sitivity to the needs of women employ-
ability of organizations to give a large ees. They cite chronic conditions such
number of workers paid leave for twelve as endometriosis, adenomyosis and poly-
days of the year. One male commentator, cystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) which
news presenter, Philip Schofield suggested are associated with severe and unman-
that women might misuse the policy (ITV, ageable pain and symptoms like heavy
2016). While the possibility of misuse bleeding, irritable bowels and nausea.
might equally apply to sick leave and any These arguments are supported by pub-
form of flexibility granted to employees, lic health research: endometriosis affects
the concern that it might prejudice employ- about 10% of women in the reproduc-
ers against female employees is supported tive age group (Rogers et.al, 2009). The
by research on flexible work options for prevalence of polycystic ovarian syn-
women as discussed later. drome is harder to pinpoint as different
sources tend to suggest vastly different
Culture Machine’s video promoting levels of prevalence in individual popula-
FOP leave shows its women employees tions. For instance, in India different
citing severe cramps, nausea, headaches sources estimate it to range from 10%
of the population to 20% (this divergence
might be attributed to the existence of
2The belief is that men and women have certain sex
specific essential qualities for biological reasons. multiple types of criteria for diagnosis).
606 The Indian Journal of Industrial Relations, Vol. 53, No. 4, April 2018
Menstrual Leave Debate
PCOS is also said to be on the rise due mobile urban women. Shrada TK Lama
to lifestyle issues (Pathak, 2015). (2017) points out that it does not address
the vast majority of Dalit and non-Dalit
Even women who do not have women employed as unskilled and semi-
chronic conditions suffer significant dis- skilled workers who have limited access
comfort which is managed by over-the- to menstrual hygiene products. Mitsu
counter pain medications, rest and home Sahay (2017) argues the debate does not
remedies. Many symptoms can be alle- include homemakers as workers in spite
viated with rest or by avoiding physically of their vital economic and non-economic
demanding tasks (the amount of rest re- contribution. Even though school teach-
quired differs from one woman to an- ers have received the benefit of FOP, the
other). It is noteworthy that women who debate does not take students into ac-
do not suffer from chronic conditions do count; adolescents have difficulty adjust-
not necessarily have equally painful pe- ing to their menstrual cycle and require
riods during every cycle. Some cycles special consideration. While acknowledg-
could be more painful than the others for ing these significant gaps in the discus-
various reasons including stress, changes sion, it may be argued that the media
in hormonal levels and diet. debate creates an opportunity to consider
how organizations can be inclusive of
women’s bodies and bodily functions.
In India as in many other cultures
there is a great deal of secrecy and
Traditional & Contemporary
shame associated with one’s men-
Perspectives
strual period.
The FOP leave debate needs to rec-
Supporters of FOP argue that it ad- ognize the structural inequalities and pa-
dresses taboos around discussing men- triarchal culture that informs women’s
struation. In India as in many other cul- access to paid employment in India. A
tures there is a great deal of secrecy and fairly widespread cultural taboo positions
shame associated with one’s menstrual menstruation as ritually ‘impure’. Many
period. Girls often enter menarche with- religions restrict women’s access to sa-
out any knowledge of menstruation ex- cred spaces and bar them from partici-
periencing shame, anxiety and fear when pation in rituals either during their peri-
they encounter their first period. Knowl- ods or for the entire duration of their adult
edge about menstruation and reproduc- lives until they reach menopause. A well-
tive health continues to be limited well known example of this is the restriction
into adulthood. These factors are exac- of women from Hindu temples during
erbated by cultural taboos and practices their reproductive years (Deepalakshmi,
associated with menstruation. 2015).In many upper caste Hindu house-
holds it is not uncommon to segregate
The media debate on FOP leave is women and prevent them from entering
framed around the concerns of upwardly the kitchen during menstruation.
The Indian Journal of Industrial Relations, Vol. 53, No. 4, April 2018 607
Jyothsna Latha Belliappa
These taboos create shame and se- Challenges
crecy around menstruation making it dif-
ficult for women and girls to talk about The World Economic Forum’s Glo-
their periods and related conditions bal Gender Gap Report (2017) reveals
openly even within their families. For that India ranks108th out of 144 countries;
many women brought up with these ta- it fares even worse in the category of
boos, discussing one’s period at work economic participation of women (ranked
would be unthinkable (although necessary at 139). The report reveals that women
to break taboos). account for only 11% of the board mem-
bers of publicly traded companies and
Another important cultural issue re- 15% of personnel working in research
lated to menstruation in India is the exist- and development, suggesting that the
ence of taboos and stigmas which limit the glass ceiling remains strong and women
possibility of open conversations about have had limited success in breaking it.
menstrual health. van Eijk et. al (2016)
found that only 50% of Indian girls know Deepika Nath (2000) suggests that
about menstruation when they get their first women need to contend with a number
period. Although sexuality education is of obstacles to promotion including con-
gaining ground in India with the Ministry cern that they will not be committed to
of Health launching the adolescent health their careers after marriage and child-
resource kit and associated app to dissemi- birth or that they will not be willing to
nate knowledge about puberty (Ministry of travel extensively. She argues that “mari-
Health, 2017) and many private schools tal status was used to infer willingness
initiating conversations on the issue, it is to re-locate and commitment to the or-
still patchy and a vast majority of women ganization (2000, n.p). Although Nath’s
still have poor access to knowledge about research is seventeen years old, her ar-
their own bodies and sexual health. gument is relevant even today. Shruti
Janardhan (2017) suggests that when it
comes to jobs that require travel and field-
If hastily and poorly implemented
work, men tend to be hired over women;
it could strengthen misconceptions
the latter are often asked in job interviews
about menstruation.
when they plan to marry or have chil-
dren.
The stigma and secrecy surrounding
menstruation needs to be eradicated via This author’s (2013) research
advocacy, education and activism (such amongst women employed in the IT in-
as the Happy to Bleed and Pads Against dustry found that many could not partici-
Sexism campaigns) but a leave policy for pate in informal networking which was
adult women in the workforce does not required to increase their visibility and
address this issue. Rather if hastily and social capital in organizations: some of
poorly implemented it could strengthen this networking happened in the evenings
misconceptions about menstruation. and over the weekends (when women
608 The Indian Journal of Industrial Relations, Vol. 53, No. 4, April 2018
Menstrual Leave Debate
were engaged in domestic work and seniority, age and increase in qualifica-
childcare) but over smoke-breaks and tions (up to Master’s level). Varkkey and
long lunches which men could engage in Korde (2013) argue that this pay gap
as their domestic responsibilities did not might be explained to a very large extent
require them to rush home. Since they by discriminatory practices and attitudes
could not spend more than eight-nine of employers.
hours at the workplace, women tended
to work through the day with minimal Indian women’s labor force partici-
breaks allowing little room for building pating has declined over the 21st century
informal relationships. from 32.7 per cent to 24.8 per cent in
rural areas and from 16.6 per cent to 14.7
Based on research amongst men per cent in urban areas from 2004-05 to
employed in Indian companies, Jain and 2009-10 (Ministry of Statistics, 2016).
Mukherjee (2010) argue that the contin- While the cause of this decline has not
ued existence of the glass ceiling can be been clearly identified; it might tentatively
attributed to entrenched patriarchal atti- be explained by the U curve hypothesis
tudes even though its existence is denied which suggests that in the early stages
by their respondents. That their male re- of economic growth, women’s labor
spondents were unaware of their gender force participation falls but rises as the
biases points to the enduring nature of service sector grows alongside economic
patriarchy in Indian organizations. Their advancement (Lechman & Kaur, 2015).
findings are supported by Budhwar, Saini Another explanation could be that urban
and Bhatnagar (2005) who argue via a educated women are pushed out of the
literature review of research on women labor force by some of the factors listed
in management that men’s inability to above: high pay gap and lower rates of
take orders from senior women is a ma- promotion; childcare responsibilities and
jor source of workplace conflict and the unavailability of flexible work options.
stress for women. De-motivation could also result from ex-
periences of sexism, harassment and
hostile work environments. Even if the
Men’s inability to take orders from
work environment is not overtly hostile,
senior women is a major source of
it could be non-conducive in other ways
workplace conflict and stress for
since organizations were traditionally
women.
constituted around the needs and lives of
men.
The gender pay gap in India is an-
other indicator of women’s The Way Forward
marginalization at work. Employing data
gathered from www.paychek.in, the gen- The research discussed above points
der pay gap in India for 2013 was 24.81% to the need for gender inclusivity in the
(Varkkey & Korde, 2013). The data also workplace. While such initiatives are in
suggest that the pay gap increases with place in many organizations particularly
The Indian Journal of Industrial Relations, Vol. 53, No. 4, April 2018 609
Jyothsna Latha Belliappa
those operating within the knowledge ployees who perceive the organization to
economy, women’s minority position in be supportive tend to score higher in per-
terms of numbers as well as access to formance appraisals (possibly due to
positions of power suggest that much higher levels of motivation).
more can be done in this regard. Often
employers are reluctant to invest re- The business case for inclusivity is
sources and time on gender inclusivity underlined by an ongoing campaign by the
and offer only lip service to the issue but Indian job portal dedicated to women,
research suggests that such investment Sheroes, which encourages women to
has tangible benefits for organizations. In review their employers anonymously
the context of USA Herring (2009) sug- based on their gender inclusivity policies
gests that gender diversity is associated and currently has 10,000 reviews of over
with increased sales revenue, more cus- 350 companies (Sheroes Organization
tomers, and greater relative profits while Section, n.d.). As organizations get re-
Wayne and Casper (2012) find that a viewed formally and informally on main-
firm’s reputation as inclusive and family stream and social media information
friendly (as rated by the popular business about their policies enters the public do-
magazine Fortune) is important for cam- main making it necessary to engage in
pus recruitment as students believe that inclusive behaviors to hire and retain
such an organization will be supportive women.
and foster job performance. Dezso and
Ross (2012) argue that there is a signifi- The FOP leave debate offers an op-
cant increase in economic value for firms portunity for discussing how organizations
which have even one woman in top man- can be more gender inclusive with re-
agement. gard to women’s bodies. Menstruation is
an issue that affects all women and
proactively yet due to the stigma and se-
Gender diversity is associated with
crecy associated with it, mentioning one’s
increased sales revenue, more
period at work is difficult. Therefore even
customers, and greater relative
when menstrual leave options are avail-
profits.
able women do not always exercise them
as we see in the case of Indonesia
In their study of over 300 call centre (Bennington &Habir, 2003). Unfortu-
employees in Delhi Verma, Bhal and Vrat nately work culture in India (especially
(2013) found that gender sensitive poli- the corporate sector) values workaholism
cies correspond with higher job satisfac- and presentism i.e. employees are re-
tion and reduced stress which in turn is warded for face time in the workplace
associated with increased employee loy- and for sacrificing their personal and fam-
alty. Studying the experiences of women, ily lives to the demands of the workplace.
religious minorities and sexual minorities Under the circumstances taking sick-
across three companies in India, Rawat leave itself causes anxiety about percep-
and Besergekar (2016) found that em- tions of malingering as Daniel Fernandes
610 The Indian Journal of Industrial Relations, Vol. 53, No. 4, April 2018
Menstrual Leave Debate
(2017) argues in support period leave. water and poor waste disposal).The lack
However, he fails to recognize that pe- of toilet facilities limits not only women’s
riod leave is beset by the same problem. access to employment and education but
also increases the possibility of physical
Whether organizations choose to of- and sexual assault.
fer period leave or not, they need to take
concrete steps to be more inclusive of Access to clean toilets, adequate
women’s bodies. A number of initiatives water for washing and to soap and safe,
are outlined below but given the hierar- absorbent menstrual hygiene products is
chical nature of Indian society and In- a basic human right which has a direct
dian workplaces, it is important to take impact on the physical health and psy-
an intersectional approach. Some initia- chological well-being of women. Many
tives can be applied across the hierar- women do not drink enough water when
chy to all women employees but, due to toilet access is restricted and are thereby
the physically demanding nature of their prone to dehydration, fatigue, gastritis,
work and their lack of disposable income, kidney damage and high blood pressure.
women in semi-skilled and unskilled roles Other health risks associated with un-
need special consideration. clean toilets include hookworms which
cause diarrhoea, anaemia, weight loss
Toilets &Other Resources and urinary tract infection.
The FOP debate does not address the Unlike women employed as blue-col-
issue in an intersectional manner, taking lar workers, janitors and cooks, women
into account the differential access to employed in the white-collar positions in
toilets in terms of class and for different the organized sector have better access
occupational groups. For instance, con- to clean toilets and adequate water in
struction sites in India often lack toilet their homes and workplaces. However,
facilities. While female engineers might lack of access to clean public toilets
(with difficulty) manage the situation by would be a significant challenge while
leaving the site for extended breaks commuting which Paromita Vohra’s film
through the day, many women laborers Q to P documents in the context of
suffer without toilet access. Mumbai. The problem is exacerbated
during menstruation and affects women
The absence of sanitary public toi- across class positions. Many young
lets is a major issue affecting women women workers in urban India use pub-
across India. Poor toilet access is still a lic transport (train, metro rail and buses).
major public health problem in India. Travelling by public transport with stand-
According to Water Aid’s 2016 report, ing room only for an hour or more and
about 10% of urban dwellers defecate in rushing to change trains or buses is diffi-
the open. Also about 41% of urban dwell- cult under any circumstances and likely
ers lack access to safe, private toilets (i.e. to increase significantly the discomfort
they use common toilets with insufficient experienced due to menstrual cramps.
The Indian Journal of Industrial Relations, Vol. 53, No. 4, April 2018 611
Jyothsna Latha Belliappa
This difficulty tends to affect younger/ toilets is universal, such distinctions are
junior women more than senior manag- inequitable.
ers who might own cars. If organizations
cannot provide reasonably comfortable As Sahay (2017) argues, every work-
transport for women (at least) during their place needs to stock sanitary products
periods, optional menstrual leave might and pain medication for women to use in
be considered. an emergency. Heat pads are also use-
ful in pain management. In many cases
menstruating women need only a semi-
If organizations cannot provide
private, quiet space in which to take a
reasonably comfortable transport
short break from work. Since the Amend-
for women (at least) during their
ment to the Maternity Benefits Act
periods, optional menstrual leave
(2017) requires establishments with more
might be considered.
than fifty employees to provide a creche
for children and nursing mothers, the
One of the most essential priorities same space can be used by menstruat-
of inclusivity is to have more toilets for ing women for rest.
women in the workplace, which are clean,
well ventilated and have a regular sup- Re-socialization & Dispelling
ply of running water. If space is at a pre- Taboos
mium, workplaces need to provide more
toilets for women than men, given that Given existing cultural taboos, women
women need to use the toilet more fre- currently hesitate to mention chronic
quently especially during their menstrual menstrual conditions in sick-leave appli-
periods or during pregnancy and also on cations. The problem is exacerbated
reaching menopause. Women are also when supervisors are male. De-stigma-
more prone to urinary tract infections than tizing menstruation requires re-socializa-
men. Organizations that require prolonged tion within the organization. For instance,
periods of fieldwork need to make ac- employers can explicitly state in their
cess to clean toilets a priority in field sites leave policy that painful menstrual con-
especially for women. ditions are grounds for sick leave or, if
the nature of the job accommodates flex-
An intersectional perspective on toi- ibility, for working from home thus en-
let access would need employers to con- abling women to openly discuss their
sider if all women employees have ac- struggles with menstrual discomfort. As
cess to clean toilets. Given traditional menstruation is de-stigmatized in this way
cultural practices around hierarchy, many women will experience less embarrass-
workplaces have separate toilets for staff ment in requesting sick leave for chronic
at different pay grades with managerial and painful menstrual conditions.
staff having a lower ratio of people to
toilets than say, blue collar workers. Another way to re-socialize employ-
However, given that the need for clean ees is to enable informed discussions on
612 The Indian Journal of Industrial Relations, Vol. 53, No. 4, April 2018
Menstrual Leave Debate
women’s health as part employee wel- when women or other marginalized groups
fare programs. Given the low priority espouse the cause of diversity, they tend
accorded to sexuality education in India, to be penalized in terms of negative per-
not only girls but adult women too tend formance ratings and stereotypes while
to be under-informed about their own men from powerful groups are not penal-
bodies. Inviting gynaecologists, psycholo- ized for holding similar values. Their sug-
gists or public health workers to discuss gestion that inclusivity initiatives should be
not only menstruation but all forms of championed by a white male spokesper-
reproductive health in a frank, sensitive son who enjoys social prestige could be
and non-threatening manner enables applied in India: when senior men indicate
women employees to access vital infor- interest in creating an inclusive environ-
mation and also sends a message that the ment, others are likely to model the same
employer is concerned about this issue. sensitivity.
For instance, anecdotal evidence suggests
that women across class have a poor When such conversations involve
understanding of menopause. It is impor- women employees across pay-grades, it
tant that this condition is included in the is likely to enable mutually supportive
conversations on women’s health as a relationships and, importantly, to alert
response to the needs of older women white-collared women to their own privi-
employees. leges. Upwardly mobile white-collar
employees are usually unaware of the
While some talks could address day-to-day experiences of blue collar
women enabling discussion of sensitive workers, janitors, cooks and cleaners
concerns in the privacy of an exclusively whose access to piped water and sanita-
female group, it is important to periodi- tion is severely restricted within their
cally involve men by informing them homes and at times, within the work-
about their women colleagues’ experi- place.
ences and the need for a supportive work-
place. Conversations involving men Encouraging women to learn from
should dispel menstruation myths such as each other’s experiences across class,
the idea that PMS affects women’s ra- organizational role and position and age
tionality and decision-making capacity is important to building sorority within the
and aim to pre-empty the possibility of a workplace. Such exchanges will be
backlash against women. meaningful only if they do not invalidate
the experiences of individual women. For
Initial attempts at discussing gender instance, those who do not suffer from
inclusivity (particularly related to women’s painful periods or serious PMS (Pre-
bodies) might meet suspicion or resistance menstrual syndrome) symptoms might not
but should not deter management from be able to relate to the experience of
engaging employees gradually and system- those who do but it is important that the
atically using sensitive and appropriate latter are heard with empathy and re-
language. Hekman et.al (2017) found that spect.
The Indian Journal of Industrial Relations, Vol. 53, No. 4, April 2018 613
