Every month, approximately 1.8 billion women around the world are forced to silently bear a painful and often debilitating biological reality — menstruation. For some, it’s a minor inconvenience. For others, it’s a time of exhaustion, severe cramping, nausea, and emotional distress. Yet, women are expected to push through it all as if nothing is happening.
Menstrual Hygiene Day and the International Day of Action for Women’s Health were celebrated on May 28, and I write not only as an advocate, but as an affected member of Jamaican society.
Research has shown that some females start their menarche (period) as early as 8 years old, but with an average age of 12, and go through this cycle until roughly 45 or 55. No matter how much time passes, it never truly gets easier. You only learn to deal with it. It is time for the Jamaican Government to consider legislating a menstrual leave policy — an act not of favour, but of fairness and humanity.

Understanding the cycle, understanding the pain
The menstrual cycle has four phases — menstrual, follicular, ovulation, and luteal. Each has distinct physical and emotional effects. Conditions like endometriosis, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), and dysmenorrhea make period pain worse.
Dr John Guillebaud, professor of family planning and reproductive health at University College London, has likened severe menstrual pain to a heart attack. However, women are expected to push through with little accommodation, often at the cost of their well-being.
Additionally, about 190 million women around the world suffer from endometriosis, otherwise known as a chronic disease of the abdomen. To make matters worse, some go years without being treated for it, not by choice but by medical misdiagnosis.

Economic and educational cost of period poverty
Beyond the physical burden, many Jamaican girls face the added shame of period poverty, which is the inability to afford basic menstrual products.
According to a study by Shelly-Ann Weeks, author, activist, and founder of HerFlow Foundation, 44 per cent of Jamaican girls have gone without adequate sanitary supplies. Some miss school every month, others resort to using toilet paper or old rags. This should not be acceptable in 2025.
In addition, according to 2023 data from UNICEF, 95 per cent of teenage girls feel uncomfortable attending school during their period. Sixty-one per cent of the respondents from the survey further revealed that there are still taboos around periods. A girl who is unsupported at school or home during her period loses out on her future. If education is truly the ladder out of poverty, then period poverty is the broken rung that prevents many girls from climbing.
Let us not simply applaud initiatives like the HerFlow Foundation. Let us join them. Let us pass policies that provide free menstrual products in schools, clinics, and public spaces.

Workplace productivity and the false argument of laziness
Critics argue that menstrual leave might encourage absenteeism or be misused. But international examples prove otherwise. Countries such as Japan, South Korea, Spain, Indonesia, Taiwan, and Zambia have implemented menstrual leave policies that improve employee satisfaction and workplace loyalty.
When women are forced to work through debilitating pain, presenteeism, not absenteeism, becomes the real threat to productivity. Employees show up but are too unwell to perform effectively. A one- or two-day leave allowance each month, or as needed, could help them return to work stronger, sharper, and more committed.
This isn’t about coddling women. It’s about respecting their biology and building a healthier, more inclusive work culture.

Men must join the conversation
Men make up the majority of policymakers and executives in Jamaica. Their leadership is crucial to bringing about meaningful change. This is not a “women’s issue” to be sidelined to a gender committee; it is a national development issue.
With over 60 per cent of managers in Jamaica being women, and close to half of households headed by women, we cannot afford to continue marginalising the health and productivity of such a significant portion of our workforce.
To the men reading this: Your support can turn this from a conversation into legislation. Use your platforms to champion menstrual leave. Normalise it in your companies. Include it in your humnan resource policies. Break the silence.

What might menstrual leave look like?
It could be as simple as:
• one to two paid days per month without the need for invasive medical documentation;
• flexible scheduling or remote work options;
• menstrual products are provided in the workplace budget for staff;
• strict anti-discrimination protections to prevent backlash against those who use the policy.

This policy would not open the floodgates to abuse. Instead, it would offer dignity and relief to those who need it most.

We must act now!
The Jamaican Government has taken commendable steps in removing General Consumption Tax (GCT) from menstrual products. But more is needed. Just as we have laws for maternity leave, paternity leave, and sick leave, we need to introduce a national framework for menstrual leave.
We must also normalise the conversation from early. Schools should include menstrual health in their curricula. Public awareness campaigns should challenge period stigma, particularly among boys and men. We need a society in which a girl doesn’t feel ashamed to say, “I have my period,” and a woman doesn’t have to whisper about her pain.
Menstruation is not a weakness. It is not an excuse. It is a biological reality that more than half of the population experiences for most of their lives. In a truly equitable and compassionate society, this reality would be acknowledged, respected, and accommodated.
As legislators, you have the power to change lives. You have the power to make Jamaica a leader in the Caribbean, a country that not only talks about women’s rights but also acts on them.
Hopefully, for the next Menstrual Hygiene Day we will have moved from awareness to action. The time for menstrual leave in Jamaica is now!