The menstrual leave experienced from Monday in Saint-Ouen will take the form of a special two-day leave of absence, “formalized in the same way as RTT, sick child leave or individual training leave” and without necessary passage by the doctor.
“Let us stop this suffering in silence, even this denial of suffering for a good part of women”, launches Monday March 27 on franceinfo Karim Bouamrane, PS mayor of Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine (Seine-Saint-Denis), the first French city to experiment with menstrual leave like what has been introduced in Spain. Concretely, this means that among the municipal agents, “every woman who suffers from incapacitating painful periods or lives with endometriosis” will be able to benefit “two days off”, explains Karim Bouamrane. The socialist councilor also hopes that parliamentarians and unions take up the subject to create “a clear legal basis” so that “small towns that do not have the means for this ambition of gender equality” can be legally and financially protected.
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franceinfo: What led you to take a position on this issue?
Karim Bouamrane: There were first discussions with many feminist associations for months, even years and then this decision taken by Spain, but also Taiwan or Japan in 1947. Women represent 50% of the population and half of them suffer from painful periods or disabling periods. More than 10% of women of childbearing age live with endometriosis, an unfortunately little-known disease that began to be taught in the medical community barely three years ago. In Saint-Ouen, we have 2,000 officers, including 1,200 women. Which statistically means that we have between 500 and 600 women victims of painful periods. We couldn’t do nothing. We therefore analyzed the legal arsenal and the financial arsenal and we said to ourselves that we were going to set up this menstrual leave.
In your city, the experiment begins this Monday. What form will this menstrual leave take?
It’s a special leave of absence. This means that each woman victim of painful or incapacitating periods, or each woman living with endometriosis, will be able to benefit from two days of absence. Beyond the progress in terms of quality of life at work, the novelty is that they will not have the obligation to systematically go to the doctor, with an impact in terms of purchasing power which went up to one month’s salary. The third advantage is that it avoids the stigmatization of officials and managers. It will not be discretionary, it will be formalized in the same way as RTT, sick child leave or individual training leave.
“The objective is for it to become part of the morals, for it to no longer be taboo, for it to no longer be stigmatizing for women who experience painful periods.”
Karim Bouamrane, PS mayor of Saint-Ouen-sur-Seineat franceinfo
Let us end this suffering in silence, even this denial of suffering for a good part of women. You also have to see the next step. We are going to sign an agreement with the AP-HP to ensure that endometriosis is monitored via consultations with specific gynecologists. It is now necessary to work on a clear legal basis to ensure that all cities, all local authorities can benefit from this menstrual leave which is a legal and therefore financial protection.
Who bears this new cost induced by this new right?
Today, it is the towns, hence the interest in having this clear legal framework so that all the towns which do not have the means for this ambition of gender equality, such as the small towns of less of 2,500 inhabitants, are legally protected. We wrote to the President of the Republic, but I appeal to parliamentarians, ministers and also unions. These living forces must integrate this measure.