Spain debates if menstrual leave policy will help or hurt

MADRID (AP) — A government proposal that could make Spain the first country in Europe to allow workers to take menstrual leave has sparked debate over whether the policy would help or hinder women in the workplace.

A leaked draft of new legislation that the Spanish Cabinet is expected to discuss Tuesday proposed giving workers experiencing period pain three days of optional leave a month, with two additional days permitted in exceptional cases.

It was not clear if the leave would be paid or unpaid, or whether it would be offered as flexible hours that employees would have to make up within a specific time frame.

José Luis Escrivá, Spain's minister for inclusion, social security and migration, sought Thursday to temper expectations, describing the leaked proposal as a draft that was still “under discussion” within the coalition government.

The Ministry of Equality, one of four ministries led by the hard-left junior partner in the Socialist-led Spanish government, was behind the proposed bill, according to private news radio network Cadena SER, which first reported the measure.

The ministry told The Associated Press it had not leaked the draft and that the version the Cabinet considers could undergo revisions.

Spain's secretary of state for equality, Ángela Rodríguez, floated the idea of providing some sort of menstrual leave in March.

“It’s important to be clear about what we mean by painful period,” she told El Periódico newspaper. “We’re not talking about a slight discomfort, but about serious symptoms such as diarrhea, fever and bad headaches.”

While a handful of private companies across Europe have adopted period policies, enacting a nationwide approach would make Spain a pioneer in Europe. Parts of Asia, ranging from Japan to South Korea, have long had menstrual...