2023年3月17日

上个月，西班牙成为第一个通过带薪月经假法的欧洲国家。这对艾瑞斯·塞拉(Iris Serra)这样的女性来说是个好消息。塞拉是巴塞罗那心理健康应用程序Oliva health的成长型营销人员，她饱受经期疼痛的折磨。塞拉患有四期子宫内膜异位症——十分之一的女性患有这种慢性疾病——在接受治疗之前，她经常因为疼痛而需要请无薪病假。(在西班牙，员工请病假的前三天是没有工资的。)“我会痛得哭着上床，醒来后不得不去办公室，努力克服疼痛，”她说。“在我的职业生涯中，我正处于专业成长的阶段，但人们不知道为什么我每个月都要请一天病假。”现在，像塞拉这样的人将自动获得在西班牙带薪月经假的权利。然而，许多人担心它的影响微乎其微。Suzie Blaszkiewicz是巴塞罗那调查创业公司Typeform的高级视频制作人，她认为这项新法律不会在很大程度上消除人们对生理期的偏见。她说:“女性可能会担心男性和女性同事都会对自己评头论足。“如果你总是每个月都请几天假，你会觉得自己被排挤了，不管是因为‘看起来很虚弱’还是‘不想工作’。” Suzie Blaszkiewicz, a senior video producer at Typeform Serra says she used to feel “guilty” about missing work. “For me, it’s normal to have nausea, pain and vomit on my period, but when you’re compared to other women who don’t suffer from bad period pain, you worry about what others might think.” The bill allows for three days of menstrual leave per cycle for those with debilitating period symptoms, such as painful cramps, nausea, dizziness and vomiting. But, to apply for the paid leave, employees will need to get a doctor’s note every single time, because Spain’s public social security system will foot the bill. “These could be barriers that make women feel that it’s just not worth the hassle,” says Blaszkiewicz. “People would prefer the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ approach to menstruation.” Surya Varma, international marketing specialist at ifeel The law also leaves out the majority of women “who experience occasional pain or only during certain months”, says Surya Varma, an international marketing specialist at Madrid-based workplace wellbeing startup ifeel. “We should not have to give any explanation as to why we get cramps some months and not others.” Varma also worries that menstrual leave — on top of maternity leave — might make some companies less keen on hiring women. Italy toyed with a menstrual leave law in 2017 but ditched it because lawmakers worried it could reinforce harmful stereotypes about women in the workplace. The HR perspective It’s on companies to change the narrative about periods at work to encourage women to take time off, says Lotus Smits, global head of diversity, inclusion and culture at delivery giant Glovo, which has nearly 4,000 employees, 40% of whom are women. “We need to normalise the menstrual cycle because it is normal,” she says. Lotus Smits, global head of diversity, inclusion and culture at Glovo Startups are often keen to champion their more progressive working cultures, and as such, tackling period leave — long seen as a taboo subject at the office — has been gaining momentum over the last few years. Making periods and period pain a topic of conversation is a step in the right direction. “Speaking openly about periods can help reduce the stigma around menstruation,” says Smits. She thinks companies should also pay for other health benefits; at Glovo, women can book gynaecological visits using their free private medical insurance and the company provides sanitary products at the office. Flexible working hours and remote policies also help women who have painful periods, adds Smits. “Education is key with any new workplace policy, so approaching it like, ‘hey, we’re women, we go through this, and sometimes we need time off’, could help normalise menstruation at work,” says Blaszkiewicz. “We shouldn’t feel guilty for needing a day off because we’re in pain.” Iris Serra, growth marketer at Oliva Health “In the end, I have learned how my cycle works and choose those moments I am most productive,” Serra says. “Women like me are not ‘less than’ because we can’t work for three or four days a month — we make up for it when we’re at the peak of our performance.” Anna Freeman is a freelance reporter based in Barcelona. She tweets from @AnnaLouiseFreem Related Articles