A growing number of countries and lawmakers are pushing for paid menstrual leave, and the conversation has now reached the US Congress.

Earlier this month, Democratic Representative Yassamin Ansari introduced the H.E.R. Agenda bill, a legislative package aimed at addressing gaps in women’s healthcare including paid leave for period pain and menopause.

Ansari, the youngest woman in Congress, noted the bill also covers men for fertility treatments and vasectomies.

It has been described as “a legislative package aimed at addressing longstanding gaps and inequities in women’s healthcare, with a focus on autonomy, pain management, and workplace protections.”

What the UK is now proposing
Across the Atlantic, the UK’s Green Party is going even further. Leaked documents obtained by The Spectator show a motion submitted ahead of the party’s Autumn Conference that would require employers to give workers who menstruate up to three days of paid leave per month, adding up to 36 extra days a year.

Workers would not need a doctor’s note, and the days would not count as sick leave or be deducted from existing annual leave. The motion was submitted by Allan McLeod, a male Green Party member and trade union representative.

The proposal also includes extended leave for people with endometriosis, adenomyosis, polycystic ovary syndrome and other related conditions, with medical evidence required only once a year.

Several countries already have national menstrual leave policies in place.

Spain introduced paid menstrual leave in 2023 for workers with severe period pain, Indonesia has offered up to two days per month since 2003. Taiwan allows three days annually at 50% pay, and Zambia gives women one paid day off per month, known locally as “Mother’s Day.”