Her World Singapore – March 2023 Feature

Spain recently made headlines as the first country in the European Union to offer paid menstrualleave. Employees now have the right to three days of paid menstrual leave a month – with the option of extending it to five days, if one experiences severe pain.

Should such legislation be implemented in Singapore? Here’s our CEO Simran Toor’s take:

“As a society, we should work towards accepting the differences between women and men. Part of this involves steering clear of negatively judging women for simply dealing with their fundamental biological processes. Paid menstrual leave acknowledges the challenges women face in this regard.

However, before we consider ourselves ready for such a change in Singapore, employers must first start by inculcating the right workplace mindsets. Employees and managers should be made aware that women commonly struggle to manage their menstrual symptoms in order to meet their job requirements. Measures should also be implemented to ensure that women are not judged as less able to perform, simply because they have legitimate symptoms to address.”