On Thursday (21st December), Union Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani clarified why she opposed the idea of allowing paid leaves to women during their periods. She said that she opposed the Menstrual Hygiene Policy in the Indian Parliament as she did not want women to face discrimination and harassment in the workplace over it.
Irani stated in Parliament earlier this month that menstruation is not a “handicap” and does not warrant a specific policy for “paid leave.” In an exclusive interview with ANI, Irani on Thursday (21st December) stated that the questions asked by several male ministers did not seek answers. “I could’ve said much more on the issue but I didn’t because the gentleman who asked the question never intended to find a solution for women,” she said while in conversation with ANI Editor Smita Prakash.
EP-123| Smriti Irani on Parliament Security Breach, I.N.D.I.A Bloc, Menstrual Leave Debate, T.V world#ANIPodcastwithSmitaPrakash #SmritiIrani #parliamentwintersession
— ANI (@ANI) December 21, 2023
Premiering now: https://t.co/txiyGx0NEy
The Minister also said that she spoke in Parliament after suffering from personal experiences and didn’t want any other woman to face discrimination or harassment at the place of work. She said that for a woman to have such leaves, she’ll have first to inform her employers and HR that she is on her period. “Why should women be forced to publicize their period?” Irani asked.
“Now imagine a scenario in a private sector, okay, where if somebody has to implement it, your HR guy has to know, your accounts guy has to know. Why should a woman’s menstrual cycle be known to an employer? Imagine if it’s a single woman who chooses not to take those leaves that are so-called proposed to be granted. Can you imagine the harassment that women will have to face, especially on the work floor, right? Can you imagine we are saying more and more women have to come and join the workforce, especially on factory floors, and corporate houses? Imagine a floor with 20,000 women. Yeah, so we are creating new barriers for discrimination,” Irani was quoted as saying in the video.
The issue of providing paid leaves to working women on their periods was discussed in the Indian Parliament last week when the Union Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani opposed the idea saying that being on a period was not a ‘handicap’ situation and that there was no need for women to have paid leaves.
The opinion was then opposed by Minister Manoj Kumar Jha who questioned during the question and answer session asking, “What measures are being placed to make compulsory provisions for employers to grant a certain number of paid menstrual leave to female employees?”
To this, Irani then reiterated her point saying that period was not a ‘handicap’. “I can very particularly, in this House say that menstruation and menstrual cycle is not a handicap. It is a natural part of a woman’s life journey. Given that women today are opting for more and more economic opportunities, I will just put my personal view on this, as I am not the officiating Ministry. We should not propose issues where women, in some way, are denied an equal opportunity just because somebody who does not menstruate has a particular viewpoint towards menstruation,” she had said.
Jha also claimed that in 1992-93, Bihar was the State under the leadership of Laluji which gave menstrual leave for the first time, followed by Kerala. However, during the interview with ANI, Irani said that it was not true and that no private sector had implemented or was asked to implement such a policy.
“The chair can pull him up for lying or insinuating, representing okay. But what measures are in place to make it compulsory for employers to grant leave? So Bihar may have, in 1992, a policy for paid leave for women in government, but does not have it in the private sector,” she said.
Irani also said that Jha never intended to find a solution for women. “Jha ji as part of the list of questions for oral answers asked me about measures for menstrual hygiene for LGBTQIA plus community. Now tell me, the LGBTQIA community that The Honorable member wanted a response for, which gay man without a uterus has a menstrual cycle?” she pondered.
Minister Manoj Kumar Jha placed the question as part of a list of questions for oral answers to be sought at a Rajya Sabha meeting on 13th December.
Irani emphasized part ‘C’ on the list of questions, saying that the question about promoting or providing a menstrual hygiene plan for gay men was meant to shock, provoke, or attract attention.
In her reply to the question, Irani on 13th December had said that it is imperative to create a congenial ecosystem for not only ensuring menstrual hygiene for all menstruating persons in the country but also to educate and sensitize the men and boys on this issue.
Conclusion
Though the times have changed and the societies in India have become moderate, things don’t seem to have changed for women. Even today, several girls are victims of molestation, sexual harassment, and abuse, especially at their workplaces. Also, they are made to feel different at their workplaces due to their demands for equity in opportunities.
In such a scenario, women additionally asking for paid leave for 4 days a month might hamper their professional growth and also portray a wrong picture in the minds of the professionals and other male employees. Companies might soon start avoiding hiring women on crucial projects or even stop hiring them into jobs due to the leave policy. Then the capabilities of the women employees in question would not matter.
Also, though India is adopting the modern way of life, it is very difficult for women to disclose their daily cycles to society. Ask a woman! Minister Irani has to be praised when she says, “Why should a woman’s menstrual cycle be known to an employer?” Menstruation is purely biological and it gives several indications of the well-being of a woman’s body. If the personal dates of the cycle of women are laid out in the open several judgements can easily be made by the society-leading to sexual harassment or abuse.
Menstruation and its associated activities are shrouded in silence frequently treated with shame, and associated with social taboos that limit menstruating people’s mobility, freedom, and access to normal activities. It becomes even more sensitive when a menstruating person is unaware of the emotional and physical changes she goes through while experiencing her menstrual cycle for the initial time. In these cases, women or young girls might find it more difficult to have access to those leaves even if they are very graciously provided by the government in another parallel world.
Instead of providing leaves, what society (especially men, and boys) can do easily is treat women like normal creatures and understand to the core that period is ‘normal’ and is just a biological process. Making girls, and women feel indifferent, and respecting them throughout is what is going to help women grow more. Period leave or any such policy-making women feel different from others won’t help at all.
