New report reveals women want paid leave for menstruation, menopause
Forty-four per cent of working women in Japan have chosen to go to work while in pain from menstruation instead of taking a day off, a new report has found.
Another 33% said they're working while suffering from symptoms of menopause, according to the report from Deloitte Tohmatsu Group.
The report, which surveyed 500 respondents in Japan, shed light on the benefits of working women in terms of paid menstruation leave and flexibility.
Japan's Labour Standards Law states that: "When a woman for whom work during menstrual periods would be especially difficult has requested leave, the employer shall not employ such woman on days of the menstrual period."
However, the law does not provide details on wages, and employers aren't mandated to provide paid leave.
But for a majority of the respondents, they believe it is important for organisations to offer paid leave for menstruation (49%) and menopause (50%). In fact, some employees said menopause (11%) and menstruation (3%) have been factors in resignation cases.
Granting flexibility
But what is the biggest factor for women's resignation in Japan? According to the Deloitte report, it's the "lack of flexibility around when I work."
This reason has been cited by 26% of employees who want to leave their current employers. Other reasons include:
- Lack of learning and development opportunities (21%)
- Role doesn't offer a positive work/life balance (16%)
According to the report, women with high flexibility at work were more likely to stay with their current employer for more than five years than those who don't get the same benefits.
They are also more likely to be loyal to their employer (86%) than those who don't have high flexibility at work (74%).
"Flexibility at work is one of the keys to improve women’s retention at work by looking at the main reason for wanting to leave/intention to stay with the current employer and loyalty," the report said.
