1 week Ago By Damon Cronshaw
Female workers should get one day off a month to manage their reproductive needs, the Health Services Union says. Login or signup to continue reading Kate Marshall, of the HSU, said an "entitlement of 12 days a year" would give "all workers, particularly women, dignity and agency". "This policy will largely benefit women, who represent half our population," Ms Marshall said.
She said menstruation "can bring pain, as well as conditions like endometriosis , miscarriage and menopause ". And 8 per cent of women aged 25 to 45 have IVF treatment annually. "This is not sick leave.
Work can be extremely difficult when you are dealing with pain or reproductive conditions," Ms Marshall said. Newcastle's Georgia Osborne has taken time off work due to endometriosis flare-ups, appointments and surgery. "It has been a challenge to balance work, while navigating a condition that isn't visible or understood," Ms Osborne said.
As an endometriosis advocate, she said a common theme was "the silent struggle that many face managing day-to-day activities including work". Endometriosis is estimated to affect at least one in nine Australian women. Ms Osborne said reproductive conditions "affect millions of people, yet they're not treated as valid reasons to step away from work and care for our bodies".
"Many of us are left to push through the pain or use up sick leave that was never designed for conditions like these." She said this led to "lower productivity, burnout and worsening of symptoms". "Twelve days a year could mean the difference between burnout and balance, and staying in a job or walking away.
" She said leave for reproductive health wasn't about "asking for special treatment", but respect, dignity and recognition in the workplace. The union proposal comes amid a push for greater recognition of women's health. An inquiry in NSW last year found some women's experiences of birth trauma were "unacceptable, distressing and avoidable".
The Victorian government is holding an inquiry into women's pain, which could have national implications. The federal government has established 22 endometriosis and pelvic pain clinics across the country, although the Hunter is yet to receive one. HSU national secretary Lloyd Williams said reproductive needs were "still highly stigmatised".
"Workers fear discrimination for taking leave for anything relating to their reproductive organs," Mr Williams said. "That shouldn't be the culture we accept." An HSU-commissioned report found lost productivity from reproductive health conditions costs Australian businesses $21 billion a year.
Ms Osborne said this was "staggering". "Providing the right support in the workplace can lead to improvement in these areas." Health and medicine, science, research, nutrition.
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