French retail giant Carrefour to offer menstrual leave

The move is the latest to allow women extra time off in a country where paid menstrual leave still depends on the individual initiative of employers.

One in ten women worldwide suffer from endometriosis, a chronic disease in which tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside the womb.

>> Read more: Fighting endometriosis: ‘I don’t know what it means to be free from pain’

“To improve women’s rights and equality at work, we have decided... to give 12 days off (a year) to women suffering from endometriosis,” Carrefour said.

Women would be able to take one day off per month after providing a medical certificate proving they suffer from the illness, it said.

Carrefour would also grant three days to women who have had a miscarriage, it added.

And it would give a day off to women undergoing an embryo transfer as part of a medically assisted pregnancy.

The company, which has supermarkets all over the world, said the measures would for the moment only apply to workers in France.

But CEO Alexandre Bompard said he hopes the decision will have “a domino effect, that other companies copy it”.

The municipality of Saint-Ouen, north of Paris, last month became the first municipality in France to allow women two days off per month if they suffer from conditions linked to their menstrual cycles, including endometriosis.

>> Read more: Paris suburb grants paid menstrual leave in a first for France

In February, Spain became the first European country to adopt legislation allowing for paid menstrual leave.

Similar laws exist in Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Zambia, but are applied to varying degrees and days off are not always remunerated.

(AFP)