Paid Period Leave is as imperative to our health and well-being as sick leave and family leave. As we become more aware of how social injustice impacts women and girls, we must keep affirming our right to our humanity through individualized and collective support.

Having a menstrual cycle shouldn't be reduced to sick leave. We don't expect pregnant people to spend their sick days on pregnancy — and menstrual cycles and pregnancy cycles aren't equivalent to illness. Reproductive freedom and health are human rights. Our right to manage the health of our bodies cyclically, and our freedom to choose whether to reproduce, without discrimination or harassment, are both prime examples of our rights to bodily autonomy and paid leave.

Reproductive injustice — the overturn of Roe v. Wade, the ongoing gender pay gap, the labor gap — is among the most pressing social injustice women face today, especially Black and Indigenous women.

Paid Period Leave especially supports those experiencing underlying health conditions, financial hardship, and disabilities exacerbated by their periods. It also covers those with no prior diagnosis- for some, a health condition or disability first surfaces with the onset of their periods. And menstruating people with little to no pain or hardship can support this policy to ensure that if and when someone else struggles, they are covered.

PPL also promotes the education and training of communities where menstruating people contribute their energy: in school, volunteer work, public spaces, and the workplace. Paid Period Leave is meant for menstruating adults in the workplace or anywhere they exchange their time and energy for labor, but the policy can easily be adapted to cover menstruating students and youth who need time off for complete rest and recovery.

Under PPL, menstruating people decide which days to take, with no questions asked. We propose 2–4 days per month as the standard for those whose cycles are smoother to manage, and up to 7 days per month for those who especially struggle with their cycles (a ceiling, not a default). For context: a pregnant person may be allotted four months of pregnancy leave, roughly 121 days. A menstruating person may be allotted up to 84 days each year at 7 days per month. As women and as menstruating people, our health is connected to our productivity — we cannot separate the two, and we don't deserve to be discriminated against for our right to equitable pay. Our right to care for our bodies and our right to choose when to reproduce are connected, and both can be protected by a Paid Period policy.

Reproductive freedom looks like the right to an abortion, the right to rest before and during menstruation, and wage equity. When women and menstruating people are supported with PPL, they are free to prioritize their well-being, and their productivity improves. Reproductive freedom looks like Paid Period Leave. It's a win-win.

Productivity improves with health and wellness. We can recognize women's labor as essential to the economy and society. Paid Period Leave is a big step toward health, reproductive justice, and wage equity.

Please take a moment to journal, or talk with someone you trust, about these questions:

1-What aspects of taking care of your health do you struggle with most?
2-What healing/health practices do you engage in?
3-How would having Paid Period Leave make you feel?

Sign the petition, leave a comment, and stay in touch. Collaboration is welcome: please message me directly.

Sincerely, Shalshee