Painful Period? This Country Wants to Give You Time Off to Rest

Through its reproductive health reform, Spain has a three-to-five-day leave per month in mind for painful periods, and such a law would become Europe’s first legal entitlement recognizing women’s monthly bleeding as a potentially incapacitating condition.

The bill is part of a wider approach which includes the treatment of menstruation as a health condition. A three-day sick leave could be allocated for severe period pain with a doctor’s note.

Some hygiene products will no longer be taxed, and they will be available for free in public centers such as schools and prisons. As stipulated in the draft of this new Spanish legislation, a paid maternity leave will be extended before childbirth, and tighter rules will be established concerning surrogacy.