Menstrual leave: permits for those suffering from a painful menstrual cycle are also starting in Italy

Three days off work during the menstrual cycle for women suffering from dysmenorrhea, or painful menstruation. This is the menstrual leave, currently being discussed also in Italy, in the Chamber of Deputies, thanks to a bill put forward by the deputies of the Democratic Party Romina Mura, Daniela Sbrollini, Maria Iacono and Simonetta Rubinato,

It is a rather high percentage - between 60% and 90% of the female population - that affects women suffering from dysmenorrhea, particularly painful menstruation, responsible for severe abdominal pain, nausea, migraines and various kinds of ailments, often so intense that they are unable to work. In fact, menstrual pains cause an absence rate from work of between 5 and 15%, which has prompted us to seriously consider the issue, making it the subject of a bill.

Menstrual leave in Italy: what it consists of and who can take advantage of it

In order to take advantage of the menstrual leave, it will be necessary to bring to the employer (by January 30) a certification from a specialist doctor, which must be renewed every year by December 31.

The woman will be granted three days of leave with a full contribution and an allowance equal to 100% of the daily wage. In essence, he will receive a full salary.

Who will be able to use them? If the bill is approved, menstrual leave will be granted, obviously after certification, to all working women, with subordinate or para-subordinate employment contracts, full-time or part-time, open-ended, fixed-term or project-based.

See also

Menstrual cup: how to use it, opinions of gynecologists and which one to choose

8 myths about the menstrual cycle we need to stop believing

Tampons or menstrual cup: which one to choose?

Menstrual leave in other countries

In some countries, especially in the East, menstrual leave has been a widespread practice for some time. In fact, in the East, there is a belief that if women do not rest during the menstrual cycle they could run into difficulties during childbirth. In Japan, for example, the possibility of settling from work for women with dysmenorrhea was already present in 1947 and in Indonesia in 1948. In 2001 it was also introduced in South Korea and Taiwan in 2013.