Recently, without any doubt, it has emerged that the Odisha government has provided the facility of one day’s leave for women employees who are suffering from period pain in both the governmental and the private sectors. This was revealed by Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida while launching the flag of the country and the state on the occasion of the Independence Day celebration at Cuttack. The decision comes into force and supposes the provision of women with the necessary support during the menstrual cycle.
Details of the Announcement
It has been announced by the government of Odisha that any women employee can take this one-day leave if required on the first or second day of the menstrual cycle. This leave is not compulsory as it is up to the women to decide when they can afford to take the leave. The policy affects all female employees in the state’s government and parastatal employees, as well as those in the private sector, making progress in acknowledging menstrual difficulties among women.
Up to the date of this announcement, there has been no existence of menstrual leave in the state. Nevertheless, this new policy is considered to be rather beneficial for the further development of the idea that women should feel safe and comfortable at work. The decision has been applauded by many people as being pragmatic to enable women during the time that they are pregnant.
Supreme Court’s Role in Menstrual Leave Discussions
The Odisha government’s decision comes at a time when the debate on the modern practice of menstrual leave persists in the country. In the Supreme Court of India last month, the court asked the central government to seriously consider implementing a menstrual leave policy for the entire nation after involving all the states in the process. The court underlined that one has to be cautious and distinguish the situation noting that mandatory menstrual leave may lead to employers not wanting to hire women at all.
The submitted ruling by the Supreme Court’s bench with the leadership of Chief Justice D. Y. Chandrachud provided a clear understanding of the position by placing accent on the necessity to discuss and consult before establishing a menstrual leave policy. In emphasizing this problem, the court’s remarks are quite appropriate, as it is not always easy to combine women’s rights and needs with real-life work.
Global Context and the Need for a Policy
It is important to determine that the idea of granting menstrual leave is not original. Several countries such as the UK, China, Japan, South Korea, and Spain are among the countries that have adopted measures that allow women to have a sick leave when they are on their menstrual periods. In India, few private organizations have implemented menstrual leave policies on their own and stressed the essence of taking care of women during that time.
In their petition to the Supreme Court, applicants noted that women’s menstrual health is an issue of decency and privacy. Sadly, the state should actively work to ensure women are not harassed and provided with what they require during their period. To support this, the petition pointed out that any such policy would safeguard women’s rights under the Indian Constitution Article 21 which enshrines the right to life as well as personal liberty.