Menstrual leave has been a legal right for Japanese women since 1947, but fear of social stigma means many will not take it
Kyoko belongs to the latest of several generations of Japanese women whose right to take time off from work due to period pain is enshrined in law. But like so many of her compatriots, she has not taken a single day of menstrual leave.
If you take menstrual leave, youre basically broadcasting to the entire office which days of the month you have your period, said Kyoko, a professional woman in her 30s, who asked for her real name to be withheld.
Its not the sort of thing you want to share with male colleagues, and it could lead to sexual harassment.
While many women in Britain welcomed this weeks decision by a Bristol company to introduce menstrual leave, their counterparts in Japan which introduced a similar policy almost seven decades ago say they are reluctant to use the provision for fear of antagonising male colleagues.
Attempts by firms and governments to synchronise work with the bodys natural cycles have struggled to gain acceptance in Asia, even though countries in the region were among the first to recognise period pains as a legitimate reason for taking time off.
In China, the debate over menstrual leave intensified this month after the eastern province of Anhui became the third area to introduce period leave.
The extension has given hope to womens rights activists that Beijing and Shanghai might soon join Anhui, Shanxi and Hebei provinces in granting working women time off because of severe menstrual pain.
In Japan, where authorities granted working women a similar entitlement soon after the end of the second world war, fear of social stigma means many women who need time off take regular sick leave rather than draw male colleagues attention to their menstrual cycle.
Several women who spoke to the Guardian said they did not know if their employer offered menstrual leave, while others said they had never thought seriously about using the entitlement.
A woman in her 30s, who wished to remain anonymous, said her previous company, a large manufacturer, offered menstrual leave. But she added: I never took it, partly because my period was never that heavy, but also because I wasnt aware that any of my female colleagues took it. No one ever openly discussed menstrual leave.
Another female employee of a Japanese firm said no one at her company encouraged female staff to take time off due to severe menstrual pain. Instead, women tended to use regular sick leave, she said.
That aside, if youre trying to prove yourself in a mans world, youre not going to take menstrual leave in case its interpreted as a sign of weakness, she added.
In 1947, Japan became the first country to grant leave to female workers who suffered heavily with period pains or performed work deemed injurious to their health during menstruation.
The measure, which leaves it to individual firms to decide how many days are permitted and whether they are paid came as large numbers of women were entering the postwar labour market but often worked in places with few sanitary facilities.
An agency worker employed by the Japanese government said she had never been encouraged to take menstrual leave by her superiors. It was mentioned in the company policy document I received when I started working there, she said, but I didnt read it throughly. The first I heard about it was from my female colleagues.
Lots of women in another department used to take menstrual leave because they didnt realise those days off were unpaid. As soon as someone pointed out that they werent getting paid during that time, they stopped taking time off.
In China, supporters of the policy fear it could work against women if companies are allowed to get away with penalising female employees who request menstrual leave.
In a commentary in Global Times, Yang Lan, a woman from Shanghai, noted that many employees in China are paid, evaluated and promoted on the basis of how many hours they work. Women who ask for leave could end up being penalised if laws such as Anhuis were not fully enforced, she said.
Yes, Anhuis highly publicised period pain policy is a nice gesture toward gender equality But the bloody fact is that accepting paid leave whenever a woman has cramps will ultimately do more harm than good for our cause, as it weakens us at the workplace, she wrote.
Anhuis regulation, which came into effect on Tuesday, allows female employees to take menstrual leave for up to two days every month.
The regulation also bans employers from discriminating against employees because of their gender, and requires companies to provide nursery rooms as part of the essential facilities at the workplace.
It was not immediately clear if many women in Anhui were aware of the new regulation.
Wang Guoyan, a 36-year-old worker at Anhuis University of Science and Technology of China, said she had not heard about the policy but generally supported the intent. If so, I feel it is very good. It is very humane. And it respects female rights in a good way, she said.
But Wang also had reservations about whether women would be able to take advantage of the policy free of consequences. I dont think its realistic, she said.
On Sina Weibo, Chinas main social media platform, netizens have been discussing Anhuis leave policy since it was first publicised last month. Although some have been supportive, many are sceptical.
Looks like it is protecting womens rights, but it eventually will make things worse, wrote one commenter, @Woshiyamiedie. The discrimination at work will never end if the rights of women and men are not balanced.
A Japanese woman who had taken time off due to period pains said women were reluctant to cite their menstrual cycle as the reason for requesting time off, partly because it would affect their income.
I have taken several days off for period pains but I never described it as that to my boss, even though my company has a menstrual leave provision, she said. Many of my female colleagues do the same. There is a policy in place for period leave, but no one takes it because it is not a paid holiday.
Another woman who works for a recruitment firm said she was entitled to up to 10 days paid menstrual leave a year, but had never taken it. Regardless of the reason for taking any sick leave, my company will always encourage me to take it if necessary. My boss and colleagues often encourage me to take holidays so I can stay happy, refreshed and efficient at work, she said.
South Korea introduced a law in 2001 that allows women to take one day of menstrual leave per month. Many South Korean women, however, say they are deeply uncomfortable about asking male bosses for time off.
Every time I ask for time off, I feel guilty towards my co-workers since I know they have to do share my work, Yoon Jinsung, a 28-year-old worker at a male-dominated company, told the Korea Times in 2014.
I dont think my male colleagues understand the pain we have to go through during our period. Without such an understanding or a solid system that guarantees that right, I think most of us would rather bite the bullet by taking medicine, which I do all the time to relieve my pain.
I dont want to be perceived as receiving privileges just because I am a woman. But its not a privilege at all. We need an environment where we can use the leave when we need to.
Additional reporting by Christy Yao
Read more: www.theguardian.com
