Govt study on menstrual leave to be completed in October

 

PARLIAMENT | The government is carrying out a study on granting women menstrual leave.

Deputy Women, Family, and Community Development Minister Siti Zailah Mohd Yusuff (above) said the study with more than 57,000 respondents would be completed by October.

She said this in response to a question by Charles Santiago (Pakatan Harapan-Klang) urging the government to speed up efforts to implement period leave.

Period or menstrual leave allows women to take leave from work if they suffer menstruation pains.

Indonesia, South Korea, Taiwan and Japan have legislated such a policy, and it is gaining popularity in the private sector abroad.

Siti Zailah said legislating menstrual leave in Malaysia would require thorough consultation with various bodies, including the Public Service Department, the Human Resources and Finance ministries, and labour and employer groups.

"Introducing menstrual leave doesn't just involve the wellbeing of women but also has implications on the country's productivity and economy," she said.

Meanwhile, she also said that whether or not a subsidy for period pads is required to address period poverty likewise requires further study.

The government in Budget 2022 had pledged to provide 130,000 teenage girls from B40 families with personal hygiene kits to tackle period poverty every month.

Asked for progress on the distribution of the hygiene kits by Wong Shu Qi (Harapan-Kluang), Siti Zailah said that her ministry has spent RM2.39 million or 77 percent of their allocation on both the kits and on programmes to educate the students on period poverty.

Besides the Women, Family, and Community Development Ministry, the Prisons Department is also involved in the period poverty for teenage girls programme. - Mkini