Much speculation has been on the topic of period leave in recent times. With Zomato providing period leave of 10 days per year for its female employees, a much-needed debate has been initiated; Whether period leave is necessary or is it a mere advantage for being a woman.

Everyone is aware of what period is, that needs no explanation. We all know that period is bleeding (oh yeah! Loads of it) for 5-6 days straight, that is just the tip of an iceberg that you see but what is beneath the tip is what period actually is. Period is much more than just bleeding. Many just shrug off saying “oh it’s just periods. What’s the big deal”. Yes, it’s just periods..! Just a time when you can’t get off the bed, just a time when you can barely walk because of the pain, just a time when you pop 3-4 painkillers a day just so you can work, Yes just a time when even a hot water bag fails to ease the pain, just a time when you get terrible migraine pain, just a time when you collapse due to sudden drop in blood pressure. Just a time when you bleed for 5 days straight and still survive!

Does that seem like a privilege? Does that seem like something that women enjoy? Women here would agree to this: There has been a point in every woman’s life that she has cursed herself for being a girl while writhing in pain. She has repeatedly asked this to herself that “why am I a girl. What wrong did I do to suffer so much pain?” One and only mistake ‘being born as a girl’!

Is it a gender bias? Well, Do men suffer every month? Do men writher in pain every month? They would say that its not our choice to be born as men. Of course! It is not the choice of women either to be born as women. It is not the choice of women either to suffer terribly every month. Women with PCOD (polycystic ovarian disorder) or PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome), Is it really their choice to have polycystic ovaries? Period isn’t a choice.

Advertisements show that a women while on her periods can jump around the town in white pants. That is far from reality. Every minute, every second there is a fear of staining our clothes and being embarrassed. Why feel embarrassed, it is a natural phenomenon? It is natural but it is not normal to talk about it. It is not normal to show that you are in pain, you are in your periods!

It doesn't matter how much meticulous planning and scheduling it takes to ensure that periods never coincide with important days and events, but the body has its own mind, betraying and submitting to additional distress that women always feel they had done nothing to deserve. Woman don’t deserve the pain, the terrible suffering every month. But yes, we don’t have a choice. On normal days, just a few spoonful of food and some water and we are good to go for the entire day if needed. But the nausea, headaches, cramps associated with periods makes it difficult to even push ourselves from the bed. Once again, I shall ask “Does that seem like a privilege?”

Shouldn't a woman be able to take the leave if she wants it without having to weigh all the ways she could be at a disadvantage because she wants the time off but thinks she can't risk it in any way?

Men and women are physically different. They are different, No doubt. Everyone shouts about gender equality. I would like to use the term GENDER EQUITY instead of equality. Gender Equity is all about being fair and impartial towards one gender. And its only fair to be a little compassionate and considerate towards woman during periods. Period leave is really about giving women the freedom to choose, whether she needs the leave or she can work in her periods. I feel this tiny compassion a woman should get. It is really not about gender bias, It is about gender equity. It is a necessity. It is the need of the hour. It is needed for normalising periods and period talks. This does not necessarily make women the weaker sex, it makes women physically different from men. Nobody is weak for menstruating. It is a normal fact of life as are the problems associated with it. Period doesn’t make any woman weaker. Period leave is not a concession or privilege or to empower women. Healthy coexistence must exist rather than denying the difference completely.