Feb. 17 (UPI) -- Spain has approved a law that will allow women to take paid days off work for "menstrual leave" as part of a larger package of sexual and reproductive protections that passed in the nation's Parliament this week.
The measure, which passed by a vote of 185-154 on Thursday, allows women to call in sick during cases of "incapacitating menstruation," the Spanish Congress said in a statement.
Spain becomes the first nation in Europe's history to grant female workers the right to a three-day "menstrual" leave of absence, which can be extended to five days if period symptoms reach a severe level known as dysmenorrhea, which includes headaches, cramping, fever, nausea, dizziness, diarrhea and vomiting.
Under the new law, employees are required to provide a doctor's note to verify the illness, while the country's social security system will compensate workers for time missed from the job.
The new law coincided with the passage of another provision to allow 16-year-olds to get an abortion without parental consent, and the right to declare any gender on government-issued ID cards, which was a huge win for LGBTQ+ rights. The national assembly also paved the way for free feminine hygiene products to be available in schools and jails.
The law's passage was seen in the country as a major victory for the Socialist government of Pedro Sánchez, which overcame fierce divisions and infighting during weeks of debate on expanding the rights of female workers.
Proponents say the law will help dispel many long-held misperceptions about gender roles as the nation's attitudes were shifting on culture and identity.
Women's advocates throughout the country celebrated the new law, with Equality Minister Irene Montero calling its passage "a historic day of progress for feminist rights."
"There will be resistance to its application, just as there has been and there will be resistance to the application of all feminist laws," she said in an address Thursday before parliament. "So we have to work (...) to guarantee that when this law enters into force, it will be enforced."
The law has been embroiled in controversy since the ruling party proposed the measure in the national assembly last year, with Montero declaring "the days of (women) going to work in pain are over."
Since then, trade unions have clashed with lawmakers over some of the specifics in the policy along with concerns that the law might have the potential to trigger a backlash against women in the workplace and cause prospective employers to avoid hiring them.
In recent years, paid menstrual leave has become more prevalent worldwide, with similar laws on the books in Japan, Taiwan, Indonesia, South Korea and Zambia. Italy tried to pass a menstrual law in 2016 that would have allowed women to take three paid days off work, but the proposal ultimately died on the parliamentary floor two years later.
A study released earlier this month by the University of Virginia School of Medicine Health found nearly half of American women reported calling off work due to menstrual symptoms which included reduced energy, irritability, and lack of concentration.
"This study demonstrates that menstrual symptoms have a significant effect on women's lives," Dr. Jennifer Payne, the study's senior author and director of the Reproductive Psychiatry Research Program at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, said in a statement.
"I think these results demonstrate just how resilient women are -- they are able to continue to work and be productive despite the significant impact that menstrual symptoms have," Payne added.
