Indian State Approves Paid Menstrual Leave For All Working Women

The southern Indian state of Karnataka, known globally as a hub for major IT firms, has become the first region in the country to mandate paid menstrual leave for all women working in formal jobs.

Under the new policy, women aged 18 to 52 working in both government and private companies are entitled to take one day of menstrual leave every month.

This leave cannot be carried forward, and crucially, women do not need to provide a medical certificate to utilise it.

This landmark policy immediately benefits between 350,000 and 400,000 women in the formal sector.

The state has become the first in India to extend this benefit to the private sector, applying the rule regardless of the worker’s job type or contract.

However, the policy excludes a much larger group, an estimated six million women, who are engaged in the unorganised sector as domestic workers, daily-wage labourers, and gig workers.

Experts have voiced concern that the policy should be extended to cover these women in the informal sector to ensure wider equity.

Globally, the concept of menstrual leave is not new, with countries such as Spain, Japan, South Korea, and Indonesia already offering it.

Within India, some states have already introduced limited versions of the leave: Bihar and Odisha provide two days per month to government employees, while Kerala offers the benefit to staff at its universities and industrial training institutes.

More: BBC News