Smriti Irani opposes ‘paid menstrual leave’ policy: ’These cases are manageable…’

Smriti Irani, Union minister for women and child development (WCD) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, on Wednesday advocated against ‘paid menstruation leave’. The BJP minister remarked that menstruation is not a “handicap” and therefore does not warrant a “paid leave policy”. 

Last week, Smriti Irani, while responding to Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, told the Lok Sabha that there is “no proposal under the consideration of the government to make provision for paid menstrual leave mandatory for all workplaces”.

On Wednesday, Smriti Irani was responding to a question put forth by Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) member in the upper house Manoj Kumar Jha on the menstrual hygiene policy. 

The minister said, “As a menstruating woman, menstruation and the menstruation cycle is not a handicap, it’s a natural part of women’s life journey…We should not propose issues where women are denied equal opportunities just because somebody who does not menstruate has a particular viewpoint towards menstruation”. 

In a written response submitted in the upper house on Wednesday, Smriti Irani said that “a small proportion of women/ girls suffer from severe dysmenorrhea or similar complaints; and most of these cases are manageable by medication.”

“However, the issue of menstruation and its associated activities are surrounded by silence, often treated with shame and associated with social taboos that restrict mobility, freedom and access to normal activities for menstruating persons, and many a time leads to their harassment and social exclusion. It becomes even more sensitive when a girl/ menstruating person is unaware of the changes that she undergoes emotionally and physically, while facing her menstrual cycle for the first time,” Smriti Irani responded.

The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has formulated a draft menstrual hygiene policy in consultation with stakeholders, Smriti Irani informed the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.

The Centre already implements a scheme for the promotion of menstrual hygiene among girls in the 10-19 age group, she told the House.

The scheme is supported by the National Health Mission through the State Programme Implementation Plan route, based on the proposals received from the states or Union Territories. One of the major objectives of the scheme is to increase awareness on menstrual hygiene, Smriti Irani said.

The health ministry has formulated a draft menstrual hygiene policy in consultation with stakeholders, Smriti Irani added.

Irani also highlighted the other initiatives taken by the various ministries for the promotion of menstrual hygiene.

Under the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao component of Mission Shakti -- an umbrella scheme for safety, security and empowerment of women implemented by the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development -- raising awareness about menstrual hygiene is one of the key areas, Smriti Irani added.