A new beginning? Spain's local administrations offer menstrual leave to staff

In a remarkable effort, some local administrations in Spain have come up with menstrual leave for its staff.   

This seems to be one of the first attempts to come up with such a leave in western Europe.   

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It shows that these organisations care for their employees and understand their pain faced in the menstrual process.    

The Catalan city of Girona this year became the first in the country to consider flexible working arrangements for any employee, who was experiencing discomfort due to periods.   

In June, it came up with a deal for over 1,300 municipal employees, which allowed women, trans men and non-binary individuals, to take around eight hours menstrual leave in a month. It also said that any time used should also be recovered in a span of three months.  

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At the time, Maria Àngels Planas, who is city’s deputy mayor, said, “Girona is known for many things and I think today we’re adding a new item to the list as we pioneer the approval of menstrual leave. We are eliminating the taboo that exists around menstruation and the pain that some women suffer – that we suffer – during menstruation.” 

Catalan municipalities of Ripoll and Les Borges Blanques also announced similar policies later.   

(With inputs from agencies)