The Spanish parliament on Thursday approved the creation of a sick leave for women suffering from incapacitating periods, becoming the first country in Europe to do so.
The new bill creates the possibility for women to call in sick “in case of incapacitating menstruation,” the Spanish Congress said in a statement Thursday.
It was adopted by 185 votes against 154, with three abstentions. The vote is a win for Pedro Sánchez’s Socialist government, overcoming internal disagreements within his own party (Carmen Calvo, a Socialist lawmaker, who used to be the vice president of the government under Sánchez’s previous Cabinet, abstained from the vote). The bill was supported by a wide-ranging left-wing coalition including the Socialist Party, far-left Podemos and two pro-Catalan independence parties, while the conservative Popular Party and far-right Vox voted against the measure.
The bill is part of a broader law, which notably aims to facilitate access to abortion in public hospitals, but also includes the free provision of menstrual products in schools and prisons.
The same day, the Spanish Congress approved another law strengthening protection for LGBTQ+ rights — prompting the Spanish Equality Minister, Irene Montero, to celebrate on Twitter a “historic day for advancing feminist rights.”
Gian Volpicelli contributed reporting.
