Policy implication of menstrual leaves: towards creating women-ready workplaces an

Abstract

Over the past few years, there has been an increased period-awareness and more widespread education. The government and numerous civil society organizations have made numerous attempts over the past decade to increase awareness about periods. Despite all this, the topic of Menstruation is still considered taboo. Our society has attached so much stigma to it that it is very difficult to have a discussion about this in the workplace. Due to this issue, many women become silent sufferers, and they don’t disclose their pain and demand a rest for this. In a nation where more than 355 million women are of menstrual age, it is saddening to find that more than 75% of them use old, frequently reused cloth, ashes, newspapers, dried leaves, and husk sand during periods rather than safer & hygienic products. As per data published by the World Bank, the number of working women in India has decreased from 26% to 19% during the period 2010 and 2020. On top of that, poor conditions at the workplace and the absence of favorable working conditions leave the dream of the developed nation far-fetched. In India, the population of women is 48% of the total population, but they contribute only ~17% of the GDP (Gross Domestic Product) of India. In China, they contribute ~40% of the country’s GDP. As per several economists, if we can close the employment gap between males and females, India could expand its GDP by approx. one-third.