Plush uterus A few years ago I went through an odd phase of getting a nosebleed just before I left for work. I unscientifically linked it to the pressure of working two jobs for the price of one ("Kate, the administration director is leaving, do you want to take over their duties as well as continuing with your PR work for no extra pay?" "no" "So for all admin stuff, go to Kate") and once I left the nosebleeds stopped. Each time I thought "oh no, I'm going to have to call in nerd" but then my nosebleed would stop in time to catch the train and the misery could resume. Had the blood been menses and my job based in Taiwan I would have been able to call in menstrual. The Guardian is taking a poll asking if menstrual leave should be adopted over here.
You can contribute a yes or no to the poll here and currently the No vote is at 62%, way ahead of the Yes vote which is trailing at 38%. The comments populated by people calling the proposal Guardian feminism and others claiming it takes away from women's credibility in the workplace. Another commenter has simply asked "is this a joke?"
It appears, in the UK, that due to nosebleeds unisex status (everybody picks their nose) it would be more credible for me to call in with a nosebleed than to call in with cramps. However in Taiwan women are granted three days of menstrual leave annually.
The Atlantic asks: "Do these policies simply further the notion that women are weak, hormonally-addled creatures controlled by their uteri? Or do they encourage more equality by accommodating female workers' biological demands, much as maternity leave does?"
It goes on to note that the West has a different history from parts of Asia when it comes to menstruation. In Japan since around 1947 women have been granted 'seirikyuuka' which translates as physiological leave - this came about mainly because as women began to join the workforce in great numbers the workplaces acknowledged they did not have proper sanitary facilities.
It appears, in the UK, that due to nosebleeds unisex status (everybody picks their nose) it would be more credible for me to call in with a nosebleed than to call in with cramps. However in Taiwan women are granted three days of menstrual leave annually.
The Atlantic asks: "Do these policies simply further the notion that women are weak, hormonally-addled creatures controlled by their uteri? Or do they encourage more equality by accommodating female workers' biological demands, much as maternity leave does?"
It goes on to note that the West has a different history from parts of Asia when it comes to menstruation. In Japan since around 1947 women have been granted 'seirikyuuka' which translates as physiological leave - this came about mainly because as women began to join the workforce in great numbers the workplaces acknowledged they did not have proper sanitary facilities.
| In spite of various laws in Asia frankly discussing the discomfort some women experience during menstruation, apparently many women do not take the designated leave due to embarrassment and fear of being seen as weak by their employers. | Currently our approach to solving menstrual pain is alarmingly iffy. |
The perfectly logical argument against simply giving women annual leave designated for painful menstruation is that instead we approach it as we would any other pain. We try to cure it. Currently our approach to solving menstrual pain is alarmingly iffy.
Women who go to their doctors about heavy and painful periods are given several options, none of which are guaranteed to work, all of which are in some way invasive and come with the risk of making the situation worse. The coil has been known to both cause heavy periods and reduce them. The pill can make women depressed, destroy their libido and cause them to gain weight. The injection can cause constant 'spotting' as well as other complications.
With hormonal treatment once you have started you are encouraged to give it a while for your body to settle with it's new dose of hormones. Once the person undergoing the treatment has established what they already knew - the dose isn't working - they still have to wait for their body to then rebalance hormone-wise. The coil and implant require going back to the clinic to have them removed if they don't work.
Either way people feel they can't discuss periods for fear they will appear weak, dirty or guilty of eeeew, TMI. Whether or not you think people should be granted menstrual leave we should all vote yes to more menstrual discussion.
Squeamish Kate
Women who go to their doctors about heavy and painful periods are given several options, none of which are guaranteed to work, all of which are in some way invasive and come with the risk of making the situation worse. The coil has been known to both cause heavy periods and reduce them. The pill can make women depressed, destroy their libido and cause them to gain weight. The injection can cause constant 'spotting' as well as other complications.
With hormonal treatment once you have started you are encouraged to give it a while for your body to settle with it's new dose of hormones. Once the person undergoing the treatment has established what they already knew - the dose isn't working - they still have to wait for their body to then rebalance hormone-wise. The coil and implant require going back to the clinic to have them removed if they don't work.
Either way people feel they can't discuss periods for fear they will appear weak, dirty or guilty of eeeew, TMI. Whether or not you think people should be granted menstrual leave we should all vote yes to more menstrual discussion.
Squeamish Kate
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