News > Spanish lawmakers advance ‘menstrual leave’ legislation, a first for a European country

Spanish lawmakers advance ‘menstrual leave’ legislation, a first for a European country

Lower-house Spanish lawmakers approved a bill that would grant paid medical leave to women who suffer from severe period pain, becoming the first European country to advance this type of legislation. Menstrual leave is currently offered only in a small number of countries across the globe, among them Japan, Indonesia and Zambia. About a third of women who menstruate suffer from severe pain, according to the Spanish Gynaecology and Obstetrics Society.