<p>Spain's parliament approved Thursday a law granting paid medical leave to women suffering severe <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/science-and-environment/period-pain-affects-womens-academic-performance-study-744240.html" target="_blank">period pain</a>, becoming the first European country to advance such legislation.</p>.<p>The law, which passed by 185 votes in favour to 154 against, is aimed at breaking a taboo on the subject, Spain's left-wing government has said.</p>.<p>Menstrual leave is currently offered only in a small number of countries across the globe, such as Japan, Indonesia and Zambia.</p>.<p>"It is a historic day for feminist progress," said Equality Minister Irene Montero, who says the move is a step toward addressing a health problem that has been largely swept under the carpet.</p>.<p>The legislation entitles employees experiencing period pain to as much time off as they need, with the state social security system -- not employers -- picking up the tab for the sick leave.</p>.<p>As with paid leave for other health reasons, it requires a doctor's approval, though the length of sick leave is not specified in the law.</p>.<p>About a third of women suffer from severe menstrual pain, according to the Spanish Gynaecology and Obstetrics Society.</p>.<p>"Periods will no longer be taboo," Montero said after the law was initially approved by the cabinet in May 2022.</p>.<p>"No more going to work with pain, no more taking pills before arriving at work and having to hide the fact we're in pain that makes us unable to work."</p>.<p>But the legislation created divisions among both politicians and unions.</p>.<p>The CCOO, one of Spain's main trade unions, welcomed the move as a major "legislative advance" to recognise a problem that has been "ignored" until now.</p>.<p>But the UGT, Spain's other main union, warned it could stigmatise women in the workplace and indirectly hinder their "access to the labour market", a stance echoed by the main right-wing opposition Popular Party (PP).</p>.<p>Menstrual leave was part of a broader law that also bolsters access to abortion services in public hospitals, a right that remains fraught with difficulties in a country with a strong Catholic tradition.</p>.<p>Less than 15 per cent of abortions performed in the country take place in public hospitals, mainly because of conscientious objections by doctors.</p>.<p>The new legislation also allows minors aged 16 and 17 to have an abortion without parental permission, reversing a requirement introduced by a previous conservative government in 2015.</p>.<p>Spain, a European leader in women's rights, decriminalised abortion in 1985, and in 2010, it passed a law that allows women to opt freely for abortion during the first 14 weeks of pregnancy in most cases.</p>
<p>Spain's parliament approved Thursday a law granting paid medical leave to women suffering severe <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/science-and-environment/period-pain-affects-womens-academic-performance-study-744240.html" target="_blank">period pain</a>, becoming the first European country to advance such legislation.</p>.<p>The law, which passed by 185 votes in favour to 154 against, is aimed at breaking a taboo on the subject, Spain's left-wing government has said.</p>.<p>Menstrual leave is currently offered only in a small number of countries across the globe, such as Japan, Indonesia and Zambia.</p>.<p>"It is a historic day for feminist progress," said Equality Minister Irene Montero, who says the move is a step toward addressing a health problem that has been largely swept under the carpet.</p>.<p>The legislation entitles employees experiencing period pain to as much time off as they need, with the state social security system -- not employers -- picking up the tab for the sick leave.</p>.<p>As with paid leave for other health reasons, it requires a doctor's approval, though the length of sick leave is not specified in the law.</p>.<p>About a third of women suffer from severe menstrual pain, according to the Spanish Gynaecology and Obstetrics Society.</p>.<p>"Periods will no longer be taboo," Montero said after the law was initially approved by the cabinet in May 2022.</p>.<p>"No more going to work with pain, no more taking pills before arriving at work and having to hide the fact we're in pain that makes us unable to work."</p>.<p>But the legislation created divisions among both politicians and unions.</p>.<p>The CCOO, one of Spain's main trade unions, welcomed the move as a major "legislative advance" to recognise a problem that has been "ignored" until now.</p>.<p>But the UGT, Spain's other main union, warned it could stigmatise women in the workplace and indirectly hinder their "access to the labour market", a stance echoed by the main right-wing opposition Popular Party (PP).</p>.<p>Menstrual leave was part of a broader law that also bolsters access to abortion services in public hospitals, a right that remains fraught with difficulties in a country with a strong Catholic tradition.</p>.<p>Less than 15 per cent of abortions performed in the country take place in public hospitals, mainly because of conscientious objections by doctors.</p>.<p>The new legislation also allows minors aged 16 and 17 to have an abortion without parental permission, reversing a requirement introduced by a previous conservative government in 2015.</p>.<p>Spain, a European leader in women's rights, decriminalised abortion in 1985, and in 2010, it passed a law that allows women to opt freely for abortion during the first 14 weeks of pregnancy in most cases.</p>