Spain is one of Europe’s pioneers in feminism, having passed a law on gender violence in 2004.
“If someone has an illness with such symptoms, temporary incapacity is granted, so the same should happen with menstruation – allowing a woman with a very painful period to stay at home,” Angela Rodriguez, Spain’s Secretary of State for Equality and Gender Violence, told El Periodico.
Only a handful of countries, including Japan, certain regions of China, South Korea, Taiwan and Zambia, and a handful of private-sector companies. In some countries, employees are reluctant to ask for time off, while others fear discrimination. Similar concerns have been raised about the provision of menstrual leave in Spain.
Cristina Antonanzas, deputy general secretary of one of Spain’s largest trade unions, the UGT, warned that the periodic leave provision could have an impact on “women’s access to the labor market”. An analysis refuted by Commissions ouvrières (CCOO), Spain’s other major trade union, which hailed a major “legislative breakthrough” that “makes visible and recognizes a hitherto ignored health problem”.
The measure is part of a broader package of reproductive rights that would also allow teenagers aged 16 and over to obtain an abortion without their parents’ consent, and would remove the requirement for a pregnant person seeking an abortion to confirm her decision three days after requesting the procedure. It also includes provisions to widen access to sanitary towels for students. The Spanish Parliament will have to debate the bill, in an approval process that could take months.
