When I first started working in education in the 1990s, many women argued that we shouldn’t lobby for time off work for our periods. It was felt that this would be a huge setback for gender equality, reinforcing stereotypes of women as the weaker sex and less reliable employees.
Over a decade later, while menopause is on the agenda in the UK, menstruation is not, yet many women suffer monthly (some more frequent) debilitating symptoms. It seems that we are perpetuating a culture of women ‘just getting on with it’ rather than prioritising their health and wellbeing.
Though menopause policies in the workplace are burgeoning, the same cannot be said of menstruation. Is it time to argue that menstruation should be recognised and responded to in the workforce? This might be especially pertinent in the EYFS.
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