With this unprecedented vote, Spain is the first European country and one of the few in the world to include menstrual leave in its legislation.
“A Special Situation of Temporary Incapacity” For Work
The Parliament in Spain definitively adopted this Thursday a law creating a “menstrual leave” for women who suffer from painful periods. The text was voted by 185 votes in favor, 154 against and 3 abstentions. With this law, a woman can benefit from a work stoppage in the event of incapacitating periods linked, for example, “to pathologies such as endometriosis”. It will therefore be a “special situation of temporary incapacity” for work. “It is a question of granting this pathological situation an appropriate regulation in order to eliminate any negative bias” for women “in the world of work”, adds the text relayed by BFMTV.
“This is a Historic Day For Feminist Advances”
The left-wing government called this measure unprecedented. “It is a historic day for feminist progress,” wrote on Twitter the Minister for Equality Irene Montero, a member of the radical left formation Podemos, an ally of the socialists within the executive. Spain now becomes the first country in Europe and one of the few in the world to introduce menstrual leave. This is particularly the case in Japan, Indonesia and Zambia. For the moment, the duration of this sick leave which will be granted by a doctor and will be financed by Social Security has not yet been fixed.
This article is originally published on linfo.re
