Period leaves in the workforce

https://www.yahoo.com/news/periodic-struggles-why-menstrual-leave-071930589.html

I guess they are ok with endless maternity leave and it's effect on all women in the workplace, but they are really pointing out how "period leaves" would ghetto-ize women in the future leading to men not wanting to hire them.

or even other women perhaps would not even want them around either

two cents ¢¢

CERTIFIED HOSEHEAD!!!

people (especially women) do not give ONE DAMN about what they inflict on children and I defy anyone to prove me wrong

Dysfunctional relationships almost always have a child. The more dysfunctional, the more children.

The selfish wants of adults outweigh the needs of the child.

Some mistakes cannot be fixed, but some mistakes can be 'fixed'.

People who say they sleep like a baby usually don't have one. Leo J. Burke

Adoption agencies have strict criteria (usually). Breeders, whose combined IQ's would barely hit triple digits, have none.

I'd be more in favor of period leave than maternity leave because women don't choose to have awful periods.

I can see how it might be construed as unfair to men and would probably result in discrimination against hiring female employees, but I wonder how many women wouldn't need to suffer from godawful periods if doctors actually did useful things to help them instead of just telling them to have babies. It also begs the question of whether or not all women would have equal access to period leave or if it would only be for women with severe periods. Would the ones with mild or even non-existent periods be entitled to the same leave? Could employers try to pressure women into going on the pill to reduce period symptoms and punish them for refusing? Would women be rewarded or shown favoritism for not taking their period leave and treated worse if they do?

What about women with very long periods? Would a woman be required to provide a doctor's note proving her periods are super long and heavy, or would the employer have to just take her word for it and risk having her exploit it? Would asking for a note for a reproductive problem (or asking about it in any form) be considered sexual harassment, especially if it's coming from a male superior?

This idea has pros and cons, but I could see it being exploited by shitty employees or used against women by crappy bosses. Plus I really don't see crappy places like retail stores and fast food restaurants letting women have menstrual leave. They won't even hire people full time to avoid giving them benefits, so they sure as fuck wouldn't let them have time off every month for periods.

If I hadn't outgrown the kind of periods I had as a teenager, I would need days off work. I missed a lot of days of school; I was literally screaming until I lost my voice. So yeah - periods can totally suck and be a legitimate reason for missing work.

Of course it is true that period leave will potentially cause even more discrimination against women of reproductive age, especially if it is handled in a ham-fisted way. Naturally people will resent it if the sick days are only for periods, but I think ultimately the solution is to go for the approach most European countries have: if you're sick, you're sick, and you stay home. Sometimes a doctor's confirmation is required, and for a long-term illness generally a plan is developed to deal with the situation and eventual return to work. But everyone has the same right to sick leave as medically required, regardless of what the medical issue is. I have stayed home a few times because of a particularly bad period. I neither felt guilty for doing so, nor felt entitled to taking a "period day" when I had minor cramps.

I think it is pretty easy for a good boss to tell the difference between skivving and genuine illness by looking at the work performed when the person is present. Having a decent amount of vacation days also diminishes the motivation to pull a sickie. If you treat people well, some of them will try to take advantage, but most will understand that it is a matter of social contract and that if they can't be adult about it, they won't remain employed.

Overall, I think squabbling over sick days is serf mentality. It is misplaced to resent other workers for having the misfortune to be sick, instead of looking at what the wealthy gain by fostering that resentment. Why should I give a fuck about enabling billionaires to become centi-billionaires? That's why I've said before that I think the solution to maternity leave harming the prospects of young CF women is to normalize sabbaticals for all, with the cost being distributed across the person's career rather than being the responsibility of the company employing them at the time (e.g., a mandatory per-employee deduction which is paid out during sabbatical). I don't think maternity leave is going away where I live anytime soon, so I'd rather demand equal treatment through an extension of benefits.

I'm in favor of adequate leave for medical stuff, and really horrific periods fall under that.

BUT...ultimately I think the solution needs to involve not obsessing why a person is gone (unless they have a chronic attendance problem) and just putting ALL time off in one bank that can be used at the employee's discretion, the end. They may be sick or at a therapy appointment or sleeping in or taking care of aging parents. They may be at a rock concert or reading a book. In nearly every case, the reason really shouldn't matter. Mental health days, horrific periods, etc can be used as reason for employers to discriminate so why should we have to give extensive reasons?

If anything, the conversation should by why people don't have/can't afford to have sufficient days off to live balanced and healthy lives.

I lived without health insurance for a long time. I was lucky, worst I had was a cold. I drove a school bus for 5 years, where I learned to really hate kids. They had a policy for the big holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter: if they were out sick the day before or after they would not get the holiday pay. The number of sick drivers dragging themselves in because they couldn't afford the sick day and, technically, bad enough they should not have been driving was alarming.
Towards the end of the 5 years they lost the contract. They did not even maintain the busses. My own bus leaked out brake fluid and I had to fill it every other day. As long as I did that I was fine. 'Why not get a spare bus?' 'Because I have no idea what is wrong with that bus. At least I know my bus.'

two cents ¢¢

CERTIFIED HOSEHEAD!!!

people (especially women) do not give ONE DAMN about what they inflict on children and I defy anyone to prove me wrong

Dysfunctional relationships almost always have a child. The more dysfunctional, the more children.

The selfish wants of adults outweigh the needs of the child.

Some mistakes cannot be fixed, but some mistakes can be 'fixed'.

People who say they sleep like a baby usually don't have one. Leo J. Burke

Adoption agencies have strict criteria (usually). Breeders, whose combined IQ's would barely hit triple digits, have none.

I missed ALOT of school due to hideous periods and eventually lost the little rotten eggs & baby oven due to the fact I was slowly bleeding to death. It was so bad Medicaid coughed up with out so much as a complaint. Generally Medicaid never pays for surgery unless your at the Pearly Gates.

+++++++++++++

Passive Aggressive
Master Of Anti-brat
Excuses!

Quote
yurble
Overall, I think squabbling over sick days is serf mentality. It is misplaced to resent other workers for having the misfortune to be sick, instead of looking at what the wealthy gain by fostering that resentment. Why should I give a fuck about enabling billionaires to become centi-billionaires? That's why I've said before that I think the solution to maternity leave harming the prospects of young CF women is to normalize sabbaticals for all, with the cost being distributed across the person's career rather than being the responsibility of the company employing them at the time (e.g., a mandatory per-employee deduction which is paid out during sabbatical). I don't think maternity leave is going away where I live anytime soon, so I'd rather demand equal treatment through an extension of benefits.

I agree 100% with this. It equalizes the benefit as much as possible and is a direct benefit, versus a tax paid benefit (which always has winners and losers). I had to deal with discrimination early on in my career due to being a female and I would guess the fear of "all females quit work once pregnant so don't hire young females" plays into that.

I've also worked at numerous places where only parents were allowed to take sick days. Once I dared to take one and spent over an hour on the phone being drilled about it. It was painful. And anyone not a parent had to work holidays too. Discrimination based on family is against the law in some places now, such as New York:

"It is unlawful pursuant to the Human Rights Law for an employer to discriminate because of an individual's age, race, creed, color, national origin, sexual orientation, military status, sex, disability, predisposing genetic characteristics, familial status, marital status, or domestic violence victim status."