India’s Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani has weighed in on the paid menstrual leave policy, stating that menstruation is not a “handicap”, and therefore it does not warrant a “paid leave”.
The union minister said on Wednesday (December 13, 2023) while responding to a question by Rashtriya Janata Dal member Manoj Kumar Jha in the Upper House.
Last week, Irani told the Lok Sabha that there is “no proposal under the consideration of the government to make provision for paid menstrual leave mandatory for all workplaces”. She was responding to Congress MP Shashi Tharoor.
‘Should not propose issues where women are denied equal opportunities’: Smriti Irani
“As a menstruating woman, menstruation and the menstruation cycle is not a handicap, it’s a natural part of women’s life journey…We should not propose issues where women are denied equal opportunities just because somebody who does not menstruate has a particular viewpoint on menstruation.”
Smriti Irani
“A small proportion of women/ girls suffer from severe dysmenorrhea or similar complaints; and most of these cases are manageable by medication,” she said in a written response submitted in the Upper House.
“However, the issue of menstruation and its associated activities are surrounded by silence, often treated with shame and associated with social taboos that restrict mobility, freedom and access to normal activities for menstruating persons, and many a time leads to their harassment and social exclusion,” the minister stated.
“It becomes even more sensitive when a girl/ menstruating person is unaware of the changes that she undergoes emotionally and physically, while facing her menstrual cycle for the first time,” she added.
Draft menstrual hygiene policy formulated
Irani, a former model and actress, told the House that the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has formulated a draft menstrual hygiene policy in consultation with stakeholders.
The Centre already has a scheme for the promotion of menstrual hygiene among girls in the 10-19 age group.
(The article is published under a mutual content partnership arrangement between The Free Press Journal and Connected to India)