Nigerian Women Clamoring For Day Day Off During Menstrual Cycle

This is getting interesting. It appears Nigerian women want the government to take the initiative of Zambian lawmakers and give a day off during monthly menstrual cycle. You will recall that Zambian law makers instituted a law permitting women a day off during their period. (read here ).

The Sun, reports that women in Abuja are requesting for the same law to be instituted. The law has been enacted by some other countries such as South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, and the United Kingdom, among others to ensure productivity and good health of employees. Speaking with a couple of Nigerians, a lot seem to agree with the law and want its existence in Nigeria.

A resident of FCT, Asaf Johnson, praised the idea, saying a day or two will not be bad for women to take care of themselves.

“As a man, I will never know how women feel when they are at that time of the month, but I always feel sorry for them. It is obvious most of the time when women are on their period because they mostly tend to have mood swings or be highly emotional and some tend to be victims of embarrassing moments. A day or two off will be okay for them to rest so they can come back to work refreshed and confident which will make them productive. However, I believe many men will see this to be unfair, especially as women are asking for equal rights in the workplace,’’ He said.

Another resident, David Kalio, said the law would protect women’s health.

I have three sisters and a number of close female friends, so I know the importance of this monthly day off to be incorporated in our cooperate system. I know nothing about cramps, but watching my sisters go through the pain every month was really sad. Two of my sisters happen to have terrible cramps on the first and second days of their cycle, but they are normally able to manage the remaining two days without serious pains. My third sister, however, has terrible pains through the four days of her cycle and she becomes immobile. She is unable to eat or move because of the pain and this had once resulted to the use of Analgin injections twice a day throughout her cycle. This is a very strong chemical combination which is normally given to patients after serious surgeries. We then discovered it was affecting her veins and causing temporary paralysis, so we had to stop that but the injection was later on banned in Nigeria so she began using Ibuprofen. She ends up taking overdose whenever she had an exam or something important and this led to other health problems. Kalio said.

Finally, a mother, Tolu Olusemire, had this to say regarding the issue

“I have a 19-year-old daughter who suffers from extreme cramps during her cycle and she sometimes gets hospitalised and there are many women who suffer the same predicament. She has missed exams and important events or programmes because of this condition and I wonder to myself how she will be able to cope when she gets a job. Many women already tell a lie or two to avoid coming to work on those days because they know they won’t be productive at work and feel the need to stay at home, so this law is very much needed in Nigeria.”

See Also

Lagos State Government Clarifies Reports On Re-Introduction Of Monthly Environmental Sanitation, Movement Restrictions | Details

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Should this law be instituted in Nigeria too?