Why women’s menstrual cycle should be known to employers: Smriti Irani on mandatory period leave

Union minister Smriti Irani clarified her stance on the issue of period leave and asked why a woman’s period leave should be known to her employer, as that would be the case if the government adopts a policy of mandatory paid leave for women employees during their periods.

In an interview with the ANI, the minister addressed the controversy that her statement in Parliament triggered after she said menstruation is not a handicap and the government is not coming up with any policy for mandatory paid period leaves. “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 would have to face?” the minister said adding that implementing such leaves would mean one has to report her periods to HRs and the accounts. “Can you imagine that when we are saying that more and more women need to come and join the workforce, especially in factory floors and corporate houses? Imagine a floor with 20,000 women? So we are creating more barriers for discrimination,’ Smriti Irani said.

Speaking in the Rajya Sabha replying to a question of RJD MP Manoj Jha, Smriti Irani said menstruation is a natural part of women’s life journey. “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,” the minister said.

Smriti Irani’s comment drew flak as Telangana leader K Kavitha said Smriti Irani’s ignorance is “appalling”. Acknowledging the controversy that her statement creates, Smriti Irani said the question was meant to do that as Manoj Jha asked whether the government has any menstruation leave policy for LGBTQIA+. “Which gay man without a uterus has a menstrual cycle? So the question was intended either to shock, provoke or attract attention, which it did. It did attract attention, it shocked many people and it provoked a controversy,” Smriti Irani said.

“Somebody asked me why did you call it a handicap? I said you open any dictionary, the synonym for handicap is impediment, I did not say disability. Then that person says you don’t know women suffer pain during the cycle? Interestingly it was all men…somebody wanted to take out my uterus on the issue,” the minister said.