BY DELISA THWALA
MBABANE– Feminists and fellow women in the country are pleading with the government to grant them paid menstrual leave.
This comes shortly after women in Spain were announced to now have the right to three days of menstrual leave a month with the option of extending it to five days if they experience painful periods.
Spain became the first European country to entitle workers to paid menstrual leave as it passed numerous sexual and reproductive rights laws, including ones expanding abortion and transgender rights.
Worth noting is that menstrual leave is currently offered only in a small number of countries across the globe, such as Japan, Indonesia and Zambia being the only African country to have such a privilege.
When announcing the news, Spain’s minister said the legislation entitles employees experiencing period pain to as much time off as they need, with the state social security.
The news were met with applause and envy in the country as social media has been abuzz since then, with the country’s feminists and general public asking for the same from the government.
One woman Nolwazi Mabuza employed in one of the banks in the country was quoted saying:
“God knows we need this in the country, there is nothing as heavy as menstrual pains and all the sickness associated with the monthly cycle. We would really do with a leave or a work from home law,” said Mabuza.
Her sentiments were echoed by Clinical and Industrial Psychologist Sebenele Thwala who said, the approved and paid leave would ease women both physically and mentally as their bodies went through a lot of changes during their monthly cycle.
“Period pain, or dysmenorrhea, is common; more than half of menstruating women experience pain for one or two days every month. For some, the pain is so severe that they are unable to perform normal activities for several days,” said Thwala.
Feminist and advocate for women Cebolenkhosi Masina said menstrual leaves benefit individuals who experience discomfort due to various menstrual cycle-related illnesses such as polycystic ovarian disorder (PCOD), endometriosis, dysmenorrhea, and mood disorders.
“Such a policy also has the potential to encourage more open discussions about women’s health and menstruation and reduce stigma around these topics,” said Thwala.
Raising an important aspect of the leave was a teacher in Rural School; Zandile Hlandze who is a teacher at Nkonjwa High school said it would help them and the children too.
She said women and the girl child went through a lot during their monthly cycle and their mood is always altered. Some children were mentioned to even miss school and adults miss work due to pains.
“The menstrual leave debate must be socially and contextually situated to understand its larger implications. In a country like Eswatini, in the rural areas where menstruation is considered taboo and still associated with notions of purity and pollution, availing of menstrual leaves might be good and needed. Since it is considered dirty and meant to be private, taking a leave provides privacy and peace,” said the educator.
A questionnaire sent to the Ministry of Labour and Social security had not been responded to during the compiling of this report. The Ministry had been asked if Eswatini stood a chance of having menstrual leave approved for women in the country. They were further questioned on how much loss the government and employers would lose if the paid leave were to be approved.
