China Women's News All-Media Reporter Li Xishuang Qiu An
This year's National Two Sessions, the protection of women's rights and interests has once again become a focus topic for delegates, and the issue of the difficulty of implementing "dysmenorrhea leave" has also triggered heated discussions.
In fact, "menstrual leave" for women has long been written into work regulations in many places. However, in real life, this seemingly simple vacation measure still faces practical difficulties when implemented. How to make menstrual care truly "institutional" and how to create a "menstrual-friendly" workplace environment, many National People's Congress representatives offered their suggestions.
There are rules for taking vacations
"Menstruation is a physiological phenomenon that women of normal childbearing age will experience every month. Some women will feel uncomfortable because of it, with symptoms ranging in severity, and in severe cases, they may even be unable to work and live normally." Ruan Xiangyan, a representative of the National People's Congress, director and chief expert of the Department of Endocrinology at Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital Affiliated to Capital Medical University, said that dysmenorrhea is not "hypocrisy", but a real health problem.
In fact, this problem has long attracted policy attention. In 1993, the "Regulations on Health Care for Female Employees" jointly promulgated by the All-China Women's Federation and five other departments stipulates that "female employees suffering from severe dysmenorrhea and menorrhagia, after being diagnosed by medical or maternal and child health care institutions, can be appropriately given 1 to 2 days of leave during menstruation." According to incomplete statistics, 20 provinces and cities including Beijing, Shanghai, and Zhejiang have also clarified in their respective local regulations that female employees can take "menstrual cramps leave" ranging from 1 to 3 days.
Although the policy level has been clear, in real life, there are still difficulties in the implementation of "menstrual cramps leave". Some women lack understanding of "dysmenorrhoea leave", and some women are afraid to ask for leave. Some provinces also stipulate that taking "dysmenorrhea leave" requires a certificate issued by a medical institution. What is more difficult to overcome than the institutional barriers is the inner "shame" of women in the workplace. "Many people regard menstruation as a private issue and it is rarely discussed openly in the workplace." Ruan Xiangyan said.
Flexible solution to the problem
Faced with this situation, how to break the situation? "We need to get out of the 'one size fits all' thinking mode." Ruan Xiangyan suggested that policy design should be more flexible and should be handled according to local conditions, situations and positions. At present, some companies have already made demonstrations. Some companies are piloting unreasonable flexible leave, which allows employees to take an extra day off per month regardless of gender or reason, which not only covers the needs of dysmenorrhea but also avoids labeling women; other companies include "dysmenorrhea leave" in the scope of paid sick leave to avoid setting it separately and causing controversy.
Donghao Lansheng Exhibition Group adopts a flexible approval and trust-first model. "If female employees have dysmenorrhea, they do not need to provide medical certificates. They only need to explain the situation to the person in charge and coordinate work connections before they can be approved for leave." Chen Da, a representative of the National People's Congress and vice chairman of the labor union of Donghao Lansheng Exhibition Group, shared the company's practice. "Female employees have been able to get timely rest through this method."
Will "menstrual period leave" increase costs for enterprises and cause more losses than gains? Chen Da said that instead of asking employees to endure discomfort and work inefficiently, it is better to give them reasonable rest space. In the long run, humanized management will inject power into the development of the company. She told reporters that the company's employees are highly educated and have good professional qualities, and the company's full trust will not be abused by employees. "If the country can introduce supporting supporting policies, such as providing subsidies or tax incentives to companies that implement care measures for female employees, it will effectively reduce the operating pressure of companies. I believe more companies will be willing to implement heart-warming measures such as menstrual leave." Chen Da said.
Let there be no “blind spots” in protection
With the rapid development of the digital economy and emerging business formats, express delivery, food delivery, online ride-hailing and other fields have attracted a large number of female workers. Fang Yan, deputy to the National People's Congress and director of Beijing Jincheng Tongda (Xi'an) Law Firm, pays special attention to the labor rights of this group of women. During her research, she found that female workers employed in flexible employment, new business formats and small, medium and micro enterprises should pay more attention to the protection of their rights and interests during menstruation, pregnancy, childbirth and lactation.
Fang Yan suggested that such women should be given the right to apply for rest days or reduced workload during menstruation, and relevant guarantees should be included in the platform's algorithm allocation rules. In her view, this is not only a reflection of social humanistic care, but also an important measure to safeguard women's equal labor rights and promote employment equity in new industries. "We hope that through the three measures of clear systems, algorithmic guarantees, and holiday implementation, we can promote the implementation of measures to protect the rights and interests of female employees such as 'menstrual leave' and truly eliminate the employment concerns of working women during their special physiological stages, so that labor protection can cover every worker." Fang Yan said.
Changing culture and mindset
The system is a hard guarantee, and the positive changes in workplace culture and social concepts are also important supports in promoting the normalization of menstrual care. In this regard, Zhao Jing, deputy to the National People's Congress and vice chairman of Buchang Pharmaceuticals, suggested that in conjunction with the relevant requirements of the "Law of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of Women's Rights and Interests", steady progress should be made from three levels.
The first is to change workplace perceptions. Zhao Jing said that companies should be guided to incorporate menstrual care into the humanistic care system and popularize menstrual health knowledge through employee training, so that menstrual care becomes an important symbol of corporate civilization. It is necessary to build social consensus, that is, to continue to carry out menstrual health science education through schools, communities, media and other channels.
"On this basis, we need to strengthen collaborative efforts, link families, enterprises and all sectors of society to jointly realize that menstrual health is an important foundation for women's reproductive health, actively promote the excellent practices of menstruation-friendly enterprises, and drive more industries to actively participate, so that menstrual care can truly become a conscious action of the whole society." Zhao Jing said.
"When women don't have to hold back because of body concerns, when every effort is seen, and when every choice is respected, then this kind of workplace can be called truly tolerant and warm, and it can also be the most moving image of social civilization." Zhao Jing said with a smile.
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2026 Two Sessions·Voices of Representatives 2026 National Two Sessions
