Zambia is ahead of many nations with the new law

February 8, 2017 11:32 AM

You don’t have to have children to take advantage of Mother’s Day in Zambia. The country now uses the term to refer to a law that allows women the day off when the symptoms of menstruation become too painful. In effect for a year, the law’s consequences are sparking debate about women in the workplace and how to create a gender-sensitive work environment.

posted by infini (23 comments total)

I think it'd be better if everyone had unlimited sick days. There's no reason to micromanage this and say one day for this, two days for that. We all have fragile bodies that have days they can't work. I say this as a severe menstrual cramp haver.
posted by bleep at 11:38 AM on February 8, 2017 [26 favorites]

I agree, but the specifics of this law (as I read it above) make a very powerful statement (to me, at least) saying that menstruation is not to be ashamed of, that it is to be accepted and respected, and that the pain associated with it is not associated with illness or weakness, but rather a physiological reality for many. Rather than making it more difficult for women to take a day off, it creates more security for them to remain in the workplace.

Of course the details are in the execution and in the specifics.

Also I am a dude and a very naive one at that, so I'll let others weigh in!
posted by bitteroldman at 11:50 AM on February 8, 2017 [10 favorites]

It's a good policy, but calling it Mother's Day kind of discounts the childfree and infertile, yeah?
posted by radicalawyer at 11:50 AM on February 8, 2017 [6 favorites]

Women found taking advantage of the law have been fired, according to the labor minister.

I wonder how that comes to pass. The vast majority of women menstruate each month, and all are entitled to one day per, so how does one actually "abuse" the system?
posted by klanawa at 12:18 PM on February 8, 2017 [2 favorites]

I think calling it mother's day is a reminder that the survival of the species kinda depends on menstruation and therefore it deserves accommodation by us as a group. It's against singling out individuals
posted by fshgrl at 12:37 PM on February 8, 2017 [5 favorites]

I remember in high school having a male gym teacher who told us on the first day that he wouldn't accept any excuses about being on your period as a reason to sit out gym class. I'd never had PMS or cramps really at all, but I still remember being like... fuck you, buddy. You have no idea. I'd like to see you deal with this bullshit every single month.
posted by showbiz_liz at 12:43 PM on February 8, 2017 [17 favorites]

It would pretty much feel like manna from heaven to be able to take off work the 1-2 days per month most likely to start with dry-heaving from pain and end with bleeding through all 3 layers of my clothing and having to tie a flannel around my waist like it's goddamn 1997. Kudos, Zambia.
posted by amnesia and magnets at 1:11 PM on February 8, 2017 [11 favorites]

Bleep, I 100 per agree with you about sick days for all peoples, irregardless of their parts, but at least there is an acknowledgment of women and their issues that I can applaud.

Unless of course, management uses it against women (as my inner cynic suggests it will be.) The bullshit of 'system abuse' sounds like something management has latched on to do this.

Lucky me, I never had one day that I wasn't able to function on my period. My daughters, however, have had issues with cramps, fibrosis, endometriosis, etc. Some months one day wouldn't be enough, some months, it was cool, no days off. The youngest went through a spell of every two weeks of absolute hell for three days. Fortunately, she had a great job that let her get her 40 hours a week whenever she could put the time in. They considered her a valuable asset, and they not only were willing to work with her time-wise, they assisted her in getting a diagnosis and treatment to return to health as it should be. As it should be!
posted by BlueHorse at 1:15 PM on February 8, 2017 [2 favorites]

Showbiz liz, I had a WOMAN PE teacher who said that. Either participate, get a doctor's signature every time for EVERY MONTH, or fail. As mentioned, no problems with cramps, but heavy bleeding combined with a pad that shredded and leaked when I ran or exercised made it hell. Nothing like bleeding through your shorts half hour into the hour session. (wasn't allowed to use tampons at home--not if you wanted to maintain 'virginity' WTF??)

...fuck you, buddy. You have no idea. I'd like to see you deal with this bullshit every single month.

There's a place in hell for that male PE teacher, and I hope he's above mine and craps down on HER. Way to make me hate PE class, bitch.
posted by BlueHorse at 1:24 PM on February 8, 2017 [5 favorites]

bluehorse can I punch your parents in re: tampon virginity that's 10 kinds of fucked up crazy in case no one has ever validated the craziness for you
posted by radicalawyer at 1:41 PM on February 8, 2017 [8 favorites]

This sounds great but how about providing effective pain relief for menstrual pain?
posted by qeRG at 1:51 PM on February 8, 2017 [2 favorites]

You mean Vicodin?
posted by bq at 2:16 PM on February 8, 2017 [3 favorites]

I've been thinking a lot these days on that line between creating a welcoming environment to all but maintaining an environment of discipline that helps you push yourself to improve. And once you start seeing these invisible, structural barriers, they're hard to unsee and it's so frustrating because they're EVERYWHERE. And I don't even consider myself to have especially debilitating periods, but most months I'm pretty useless and just barely hanging on for at least one day.
posted by jeweled accumulation at 2:37 PM on February 8, 2017

I just think it's incredibly creepy for the government to decide that women in particular are weaker than men and need special consideration. Yes people who get periods do experience extraordinary difficulty with their body but there's a way to account for that that doesn't include the government mandating that one type of body is less reliable than another.
posted by bleep at 2:51 PM on February 8, 2017 [1 favorite]

bq, sure. I don't know about Zambia but here in the US it is pretty impossible to get prescription painkillers for menstrual pain relief. (I've been trying for years.)
posted by qeRG at 3:10 PM on February 8, 2017

We work for decades and decades to prove that we're just people, can do (and always did) anything men can do, and laws like this come along and set all that shit back.

God almighty, watching feminism slit its own throat is painful.
posted by gsh at 4:12 PM on February 8, 2017 [3 favorites]

Gsh, that sorta seems like saying lactation rooms are anti-feminist because they acknowledge that women's bodies work differently than men's bodies...
posted by showbiz_liz at 4:57 PM on February 8, 2017 [18 favorites]

Korea had a similar law in place when I lived there about a decade ago. It made me uncomfortable then, and still does. I heard a lot of men use the existence of the law as justification for sexism, and as a way of tracking female employees fertility. Heaven forbid a company risk having a visibly pregnant employee, right?

Letting people call in sick from time to time simply because they feel like crap, without needing specifics, regardless of gender, seems far more humane in my opinion.
posted by peppermind at 5:00 PM on February 8, 2017 [4 favorites]

Sorta seems like it but it's not the same. Having a lactation room isn't a judgement call, it's neutral. Like yes, you have a need for privacy for which the bathroom isn't appropriate so here you go. And which, if you're not lactating, you don't need. That's not the same as this.
posted by bleep at 5:09 PM on February 8, 2017 [1 favorite]

I'd worry this would make employers more reluctant to hire women, since they have to give them extra sick days. Also, if you do want to mandate extra sick days for period pain, it should be available for uterus-having people in general, not making the assumption that woman=menstruator. The simpler solution, as others have mentioned above is just to give people more sick days or even unlimited sick days.
posted by lollusc at 5:25 PM on February 8, 2017 [4 favorites]

So Zambia seems like a place where democracy and human rights are a thing. Can I live there?
posted by saysthis at 6:23 PM on February 8, 2017 [1 favorite]

I don't know about Zambia but here in the US it is pretty impossible to get prescription painkillers for menstrual pain relief

Zambia is still struggling to raise life expectancy out of the low 50s. I think expecting them to be better than the US at providing expensive prescription painkillers that require ongoing management is ... jumping the gun a little.

it's neutral.

I see both the benefits and drawbacks of this law, but... I guess I don't see how having a lactation room is any more neutral. It's an expense for the employer that's linked to the sex of the employee. Not all women will need it, but not all women will need menstrual sick days either ... so... ?
posted by Kutsuwamushi at 6:16 AM on February 9, 2017 [1 favorite]

In conclusion, there are many similarities and differences between Zambia and the United States.
posted by radicalawyer at 8:54 AM on February 9, 2017 [2 favorites]