A lot of female professionals are speaking up about painful periods and how there is a definite need for menstrual leaves at their workplaces. While some people are opposed to period leaves, celebrities like Twinkle Khanna have voiced their support saying that women shouldn’t have to fight their biology to be considered equal at work.
Amidst the debate, Supreme Court advocate Kiruba Munusamy narrated how she was fired by a senior male lawyer for taking a day off on the first day of her menstrual cycle. She also talked about the exploitation female workers face in the garment industry.
I was fired from a Supreme Court Advocate’s Office for taking a day off on the first day of my period.
”This is why never recruit female juniors”, he said.
I can't even sit in the courtrooms, as it's disrespectful to ’Senior Male Lawyers’.#DalitWomanMenstrualExperience
— Kiruba Munusamy (@kirubamunusamy) August 13, 2020
The garment industries majorly with women’s labour force illegally give pills to keep them working through period pains.
Most of these women are from Dalit/MBC backgrounds and their health is being endangered for profit.#DalitWomanMenstrualExperiencehttps://t.co/Ak2Dj1mcwH
— Kiruba Munusamy (@kirubamunusamy) August 13, 2020
Twitter expressed solidarity with her and noted how employers need to change their views as for some women, periods are as painful as heart attacks.
This is terrible that even in 2020 we have to explain our men what is period? What's period pain? Why leave is a necessity? God!!!
People who argued there's full gender equality now…have to see this.. actually how sexist and anti women our society is— Divya Tripathi (@DivyaTr38157963) August 13, 2020
Menstrual rights are human rights
— Saumya Singh Chauhan (M.B.B.S) (@SShiningTurtle) August 13, 2020
Doctors don't even get night off even after 24 hr duty. Junior residents give 36 hr duty. In areas like icu and labor room when one can not even get up to have a sip of water . When has a senior asked to take rest or take time to take bath or clean if on mensuration
— Saumya Singh Chauhan (M.B.B.S) (@SShiningTurtle) August 13, 2020
😔solidarity sister
— Naina Sethi (@nainainspace) August 14, 2020
An intern at my office was bashed by my senior bcoz she left the day early due to the cramps she got during her periods. The senior asked me if I could ever hire someone like her, I looked up into her eyes & said YES, there is nothing wrong with her.
— Ankit Jaglan (@ankitjaglan12) August 13, 2020
Professor of reproductive health at University College London,John Guillebaud talked about period pain. He described period cramping as "almost as bad as having a heart attack"
The next time someone has a heart attack at workplace they shall get fired, no matter what. Is that so? https://t.co/NuItKKthAC— Trupti Vijay Yadav (@trupti2712) August 14, 2020