Painful periods at work: a persistent taboo that drives some women to lie

Spain acted as a pioneer in Europe by adopting, last February, a law aimed at establishing menstrual leave for women suffering from painful periods. An unprecedented measure on the Old Continent which aims to break certain taboos, and encourages other countries, including France, to begin a reflection on menstrual health at work. As World Menstrual Hygiene Day approaches, the Swedish brand Intimina presents the results of a survey* conducted in the United Kingdom, which testifies to the many clichés surrounding painful periods, as well as the fear of women to be stigmatized in the course of their employment.

Shatter taboos

Conducted by Censuswide among more than 1,000 British women, the study first tells us that nearly two-thirds of respondents (63%) say they are in favor of paid menstrual leave in the United Kingdom, and nearly half of them (49%) even say they have already felt the need to use such a device. It remains to be seen whether, in the absence of a law granting this leave, employers are really ready to make efforts in favor of women suffering from painful periods. And the answer is likely to make people cringe, since only one in ten respondents said that their employer would be ready to offer a few days off in the event of “serious symptoms” during this period of the month.

“No woman should be stigmatized or excluded for having her period. Those who suffer from menstrual pain should be granted paid leave, as with any other health problem. As so many women suffer from extremely serious symptoms during their rules, it is amazing to see that Spain is the only country in the western world to have implemented this policy”explains Thorsten Kiefer of Wash United, an organization with which the Intimina brand has partnered on this World Day to encourage the implementation of menstrual leave.

Another finding, and not the least important, is that nearly one woman in two (49%) reports a “lack of sympathy” on the part of said superior when the subject of menstrual pain was brought up in the course of work. This finding is not without consequences for the mental health of the main people concerned, to such an extent that one respondent in four claims to have already felt the need to justify this type of absence with excuses of all kinds, and sometimes even the most unusual. “I caught a mysterious virus” And “I have food poisoning because I ate spoiled shrimp” are among the most popular excuses to justify an absence linked to painful periods, with 28% and 20% of the votes respectively.

An impact on mental health

This obviously only concerns women who are absent due to menstrual pain, most of whom continue to work despite their symptoms. The survey also shows that for 20% of British women this has a negative influence on their well-being and their mental health. “Periods affect us all differently. For some women, they can be accompanied by serious physical and mental symptoms. Not having the right to leave when you suffer from period pain or having to lie to your employer can cause stress and anxiety, which can lead to other health problems,” explains Dr. Susanna Unsworth, gynecologist and medical expert for Intimina.

On the occasion of World Menstrual Hygiene Day, the Swedish feminine care brand is launching the “Useless Spanish Lessons” campaign in the Spanish language, which takes the form of an online tutorial parody. The idea? List all the excuses or pretexts that women no longer need to resort to in Spain when they suffer from menstrual pain. It is also a way of highlighting this first step forward in Europe. It should be noted that in the rest of the world, Japan, Zambia, Taiwan, South Korea, and even Indonesia have also introduced menstrual leave, under very different conditions, although this is not always paid.

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