More Indian states and firms offer menstrual leave

Issue gains traction amid efforts to woo female voters and get more women to join workforce

- Rohini Mohan

Ms Francesca Cotta is prone to painful cramps, severe weakness and waves of emotional distress during her periods.

The 29-year-old writer, who lives in Goa, would always have to take a day off when the pain became especially bad. This was despite none of her previous workplaces - startups and small magazines - offering paid leave for female employees suffering menstrual pain.

"If I worked with a woman, I was more likely to say I was having my period. With a male boss, I would say 'stomach ache' and they would understand. I have been fortunate that I have never been denied a day off," said Ms Cotta, who is now self-employed. Sometimes this was off the books, and at other times, she would use her normal leave allotment.

But like most Indian women, more often than not, she tolerated the pain on the job because of her own discomfort in bringing it up or worry about missing deadlines.

Changes, though, are afoot, with a growing number of employers and politicians taking the provision of menstrual leave more seriously than ever before.

In the past four years, the idea of menstrual leave has gone from being a one-of-a-kind corporate policy by a food delivery app in Bengaluru to featuring prominently in the election manifestos of political parties during recent polls in western India's Maharashtra state.

As women voters become more politically significant and companies and governments want more women in the workforce, that taboo-laden, hush-hush "time of the month" has become a national subject today.

Court petitions and parliamentary proposals for menstrual policies have been rejected but are bringing the issue to the forefront. Three state governments mandated menstrual leave in 2023 and two more are seriously considering it.