KUALA LUMPUR: Close to 90 per cent of netizens who participated in the New Straits Times' poll on Instagram, asking followers whether Malaysia should implement menstrual leave, had voted in favour of it.
According to the poll, 87 per cent or 1,027 people of the total 1,177 people who participated, were looking forward to Malaysia adopting a national menstrual leave policy, with only 13 per cent or 150 people voting "no".
In a second poll, asked if period pain has ever affected their (women's) ability at work, 86 per cent or 1,036 people of the 1,210 people polled said "yes" and only 14 per cent or 174 people said "no".
The polls ran for 24 hours and was closed on Tuesday evening.
PART 1: Menstrual leave for women workforce in Malaysia: A boon or bane?
In Malaysia, the most recently published research on dysmenorrhea (severe and frequent menstrual cramps) and working women came from YouGov in 2017 where 86 per cent of women said they had period pain, and among those women who had period pain and had worked, 81 per cent said that it affected their ability to work.
"It's hard to pretend we are 'ok'. We are not. At least a day off work during menses is good enough," a user commented on NST's Instagram page.
"Period pain is not a joke. Please consider our plight," another netizen wrote urging the government and employers to look into the issue.
"Yes, please grant us at least one day off work (during menstruation every month). We just can't deal with the pain and cramps, and having to sit through the massive traffic jams in Kuala Lumpur amid all this," wrote another.
Another netizen wrote: "I would appreciate at least two days of menstrual leave every month. This will also save us from the embarrassment and stress of asking for the day off from our superiors, especially if it is a male boss."
"Please have this (menstrual leave) implemented soon. It hurts so bad on the first day of menses. I'm very much looking forward to official enforcement of at least a day of leave," a user wrote.
PART 2: 'Menstrual leave, not an admission of weakness'
A male user opined that women employees should be allowed to take one day off monthly when required due to menstrual reasons without scrutiny.
"Women are juggling multiple roles at home and at work in addition to monthly menstruation, pregnancy for ten months with only one week of paternal leave to help with post-delivery.
"Most workplaces are not menstruating-women friendly with the noisy environment, uncomfortable toilets, lack of relaxation space, and lack of space to exercise to reduce cramps, among others.
"Since Malaysia does not have a four-day workweek, at least according women one day off to be taken as and when required per month should be a must.
"Anything more than a day for menstrual complications should be taken by working women as medical leave from their doctor and should in fact be investigated medically," he wrote on NST's Facebook page.
Another user on Facebook commented that while menstrual leave is a good idea, proper research is needed on its implementation.
Menstrual leave is an employment policy that allows women the option to take paid or unpaid leave from work during menstruation due to associated health issues.
The Spanish cabinet recently approved a draft bill that grants menstrual leave to women suffering from severe period pain (or dysmenorrhea).
This reignited debates on period leave, casting a spotlight on the long-neglected issue of menstrual health and menstrual inequity across nations, including Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States and Malaysia.
The policy, however, is an old idea that dates back to the early days of the Soviet Union in the 1920s, initially introduced to protect women's ability to be mothers.
Since then, only a handful of countries have national policy frameworks that grant some form of menstrual leave ranging from a day to an unlimited number of days off, with Asian countries taking the lead - Japan introduced it in 1947, Indonesia in 1948, South Korea in 2001, Taiwan in 2002, and Zambia in 2017.
In other parts of the world, private companies have introduced menstrual leave as in the case of India.