Paid menstrual leave could come to New Jersey, should it? (Opinion)

Let’s get this out of the way at the start: if men had a monthly period this would have been mandated decades ago. This wouldn’t be a question.

But that’s not the case.

While the Supreme Court is planning on stripping women of their rights, lawmakers in New Jersey are considering something that would actually help them out.

Lawmakers are considering making menstruation eligible for paid sick leave, and I think it’s about time this came to the Garden State.

Implementing such a policy could destigmatize something that, despite being absolutely natural, women are afraid to mention in the workplace even though they feel ill and unable to work to their best ability.

Men, imagine having to work through being kicked between the legs.

Certain pro-period companies have had this in place already. For instance, in Canada, the company behind the DivaCup offers up to 12 days off per year for “any person who menstruates.”

According to Carinne Chambers-Saini, the company’s founder:

“We’re encouraging people to not feel shame around it. Diva is a period positive company and our brand values are rooted in equity and body autonomy, so this fits into that mission and helps destigmatize menstruation.”

While men might argue that it’s unfair for women to have more excused days off, I would argue that it’s unfair for a woman to have to either work through a day of extreme pain or have to use PTO for a day of discomfort and feeling sick.

And if we’re talking about unfairness in the workplace, allow me to direct you to the rest of human history when it comes to women in the workplace. Maybe you can give us this one??

Sure, you could say that women could use sick days but that's basically saying that we're not allowed to come down with other illnesses as much as men and that's neither realistic nor fair.

Other countries such as Italy, South Korea, and Japan have already taken this into consideration, so why not the U.S.?

Let us know in the poll below if you’d want to see it become a reality in New Jersey:

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5's Kylie Moore. Any opinions expressed are Kylie's own. You can follow Kylie on Instagram.