Union Minister Smriti Irani rejects paid menstrual leave policy, says menstruation not a ‘handicap’

Union Women and Child Development (WCD) Minister Smriti Irani has opposed the idea of paid menstrual leaves for women and said that menstruation is not a “handicap” and therefore does not warrant a paid leave policy.

Responding to concerns raised by Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) member Manoj Kumar on Wednesday, Minister Irani underlined the natural aspect of the monthly cycle of a woman and advocated against suggestions that might hinder women’s equal opportunities in the aftermath of a recent parliamentary inquiry into the country’s 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,” Moneycontrol reported quoting the Union Minister.

She said that menstruation and its associated activities are “surrounded by silence” and treated with “shame” and associated with “social taboos that restrict mobility, freedom and access to normal activities for menstruating persons”. This often leads to their harassment and social exclusion,” a report by Mint said.

However, the issue of menstruation and its associated activities are discussed in silence, and often seen with shame, and associated with social taboos that limit menstruating people’s mobility, freedom, and access to normal activities, often leading to harassment and social exclusion. It gets much more sensitive when a girl/menstruating person is ignorant of the mental and physical changes she goes through while experiencing her menstrual cycle for the first time, the Minister added.

The Union Minister informed the Rajya Sabha that the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had developed a draft menstrual hygiene policy in consultation with stakeholders.

She informed the House that the Centre already implements a scheme to promote menstruation hygiene among females aged 10 to 19.

She also emphasized the various steps undertaken by other ministries to promote menstrual hygiene.

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