Equality Minister Irene Monteiro is behind the reform of abortion law, which is now in its final stages. The draft is expected to reach the Council of Ministers next Tuesday and, related to voluntary interruption of pregnancy – in addition to eliminating parental permission to abort girls from the age of 16 – will include other measures such as reducing VAT on hygiene products. Involve, consider surrogacy, violence and contemplation too three days off for the suffering women painful rules,

While this is a draft that could be revised, this is not the first time that the issue of casualties due to difficult menstruation has come to the fore. In addition, there are Municipalities, such as Castellón and Girona, which already include permits in their agreements Eight days in a month recoverable for this purpose.

However, this measure has never been adopted largely because of the skepticism and skepticism arising from the present government. Just yesterday, the First Vice President and Minister of Economic Affairs, Nadia Calvio, was against For this special permission: “No measure which stigmatizes women shall be taken”.

There has been a response to this statement in the words of the second Vice President and Labor Minister, yolanda diazoowhich was shown today thursday “absolutely agree” With menstrual leave and has called for a “gender labor policy”. Similarly, in a Europa Press report, Dazs has replied that what is “stigmatized” is not approving sick leave because of painful regulations, but “not sensitive enough” To understand that women and men are “different”.

No, menstrual pain is not normal

Dysmenorrhea is synonymous with painful menstruation and according to SEGO (Spanish Society of Gynecology and Obstetrics), it affects up to a third of women of childbearing age. M Jess Cancillo is its vice president, explains that these figures include all degrees of pain, from mild to severe. to disable,

“The problem with dysmenorrhea is that it happens every month. When it comes to very severe pain, you have to keep in mind that they add up to several days during a woman’s reproductive period,” Canslow explains. “Fortunately, there are treatments that provide a good response, such as hormonal contraception combined with a continuous regimen,” he says.

Cancillo stresses the importance of seeing a doctor when menstrual pain occurs, as in many cases the cause can be found (such as endometriosis) and a more appropriate remedy can be sought. “There is a cultural myth that menstrual pain is normal, but it is not. You don’t need to suffer from it because we can reduce those symptoms,” he says.

Many women, experts say, they never went to the doctor They comment on it ‘passing’ on visits to consult it and only for other reasons: “Sometimes we wonder how it is possible that they have gone through so much”, confirms the vice president of SEGO. Is. However, it also clarifies that at present, and regardless of future legislative reforms, primary care physicians they already drop Patients suffering from incapacitating pain.

yesterday i lay down all day and i stopped making money because i had my period

a self employed

JDA is self-employed, 36 years old and works from home. “Yesterday I couldn’t leave the house because of my period. I canceled all my personal and work plans, I only did what was urgent,” she explains. This woman says that her pain for the last 4 or 5 years menstruation They are very intense. She went to the gynecologist, who ruled out endometriosis.

So, when he worked in an office, his situation was complicated. Although: “i never quit therefore. Since childhood, we are taught that even if you have a bad time your life can’t stop“. The JDA is pleased with the possibility that casualties will be implemented for this reason, although it cannot benefit from the initiative, being autonomous. “What I can decide is not to work, even if I Lose money like yesterday, or recover hours on the weekend, but nothing more,” he explains.

Is sick leave due to painful periods a reason for discrimination?

According to the first survey on menstruation and the work environment published by Intimina, a female intimate health product company, 69% of Spanish women believe that pain associated with the menstrual cycle is stigmatized in the work environment.

Another fact that stands out from the study is that, like JDA, 88% of women have recurrent and disabling pain. fulfills its obligations Labour. MORE: 67% of women are in favor of legal regulation of menstrual loss, although 75% believe this right will be a double-edged sword, leading to it. discrimination at work.

I have never asked to be discharged because of the rules. I have taken a vacation or my own business to stay at home

endometriosis patients

Pillar R. 45 years old and suffering from endometriosis. During the period he suffered the most, his sufferings were incapacitating, for which he had to give up work on a few occasions. “I never asked for leave for this, but I’ve taken my days holidays or personal matters“, recognize.

“It was not just pain, but is bleeding, I have several days of not being able to leave the house because the bleeding won’t stop,” she explains. Pilar received treatment, even with injected drugs, as a measure of shock, but They weren’t always effective enough to let him go.

“At the worst of times, I was first two days without leaving home, I couldn’t even go to the hospital emergency room with those hemorrhages. They have come to my home to treat me,” he recalls.

flexible companies trend

Marisa Cruzado and Maite Sanz, promoters of the SFS Awards, which focus on the health, flexibility and sustainability of companies, explain that “flexibility with the distribution of working time is an increasingly widespread measure among business organizations in Spanish”.

This new concept, he says, is not only an argument for retaining talent, but “part of a growing tendency to personalize working conditions, allowing the working day to adapt to the circumstances that may arise.” gives. generational diversity, gender And a family model too, just to give a few examples”.

Experts point out that such measures are based on trust and mutual responsibility and that, whether drafted or not abortion law reformSimilar measures are already underway in some companies through flexible working hours and work by objectives: “Being clear about what needs to be accomplished, the range of flexibility options offered by companies is enormous. broad and they can include exactly such circumstances as the Ministry of Equality wants to legislate, but without requiring explicit recognition or disclosure of reason by the affected woman.”

Sick leave: side B of the measure

Marisa Cruzado and Maite Senz have their reservations about the implementation of sick leave due to painful regulations: “As connoisseurs of the business reality of large, medium and small Spanish companies, we seriously doubt about the feasibility of such a measure”.

They argue, in the first place, that “medical leave associated with menstruation must have a medical prescription derived from an exhaustive medical study on its causes indicating that no medical treatment is possible”.

second, “because it collides face to face essential data protection Which, in this case, are personal, intimate, and in addition to being exclusive to women. They also believe that “it does not take into account the economic impact on organizations”, and finally, they believe that “it stigmatizes women. Getting sick frequently (every month) is a Because of the biological gender issue”.

Therefore, they conclude, such a measure make it harder to participate Number of women in the selection process or their promotion to positions of greater responsibility within an organization.