Period Leave – A glorified discrimination
What a cool and ‘hip’ idea by an upmarket Mumbai ad agency!
Clearly highlights company’s empowering and woman-friendly policies. With all the social media attention and free publicity, surely it’s good for the business in hindside.
So the deal is – woman employees get a day’s paid leave on the first day of their period.
Call me names and curse me saying ‘aurat hi aurat ki dushman hoti hai’ …..but
…if the leave is being given in lieu of physical and emotional discomfort (blame the hormones for the latter!), a lot of women suffer worse when man of the house looses cool and hits a woman, when a woman is subjected to mental harressment by in-laws, when a woman is emotionally broken to find out a cheating husband.
I demand leave for all these and zillions of other reasons for which a woman deserve a PL.
But then, so does a man! For his own baggage of ‘physical and emotional’ events in life.
Cut the crap.
While we, women demand equality in pay, promotion, education, social stature and respect, enjoying a day off only because the uterus is shedding that extra lining of tissue and muscles are helping it out to do so with mild to moderate to severe (in only some cases) discomfort, this scenario is UNFAIR on the male co-worker.
And so are those ‘Ladies Only’ special seats and queues unless the woman is pregnant, with a kid or old!
Speaking for myself, I do not need any extra favours pertaining to my physical differences from a man.
I am empowered enough to deal with that.
Thanks but no thanks to the ‘Period Leave’.
Period.
PS – Making sanitary napkins tax free and cheaper is still awaiting enough traction to make the Government take necessary step.
Let’s focus and work towards that!
Banner image – India Today