It started with a period

It all started on August 9. Zomato, a large food ordering platform in India (think: Seamless in the US), made a splash.

Their CEO, Deepinder Singh, published the following blog post.

Ladies,

How many times have you had to send a message to your team saying “unwell today – taking the day off” and having to answer concerned questions about your health with a feeble “stomach upset / weakness etc.” when you really wanted to say “on my period, terrible cramps – need a heating pad, some chocolate and a lot of green tea (or something stronger) so I’m taking the day off”?

At Zomato, we want to foster a culture of trust, truth and acceptance. Starting today, all women (including transgender people) at Zomato can avail up to 10 days of period leaves in a year.

Why 10? Most women have ~14 menstrual cycles in a year. Adjusting for the probability of you having your periods on a weekend, you can now rightfully avail 10 extra leaves compared to men You can only take one period leave for each menstrual cycle Zomato understands that men and women are born with different biological realities. It is our job to make sure that we make room for our biological needs, while not lowering the bar for the quality of our work and the impact that we create There shouldn’t be any shame or stigma attached to applying for a period leave. You should feel free to tell people on internal groups, or emails that you are on your period leave for the day In case you face any unnecessary harassment, or distasteful comments from men or women about the fact that you applied for a period leave, or that you are vocal about it, please report them to speakup@zomato.com – our prevention of sexual harassment (POSH) team will quickly spring into action While we are introducing this leave to build a more inclusive work culture, a word of necessary advice –

These leaves should only be availed if you are really unable to attend to work If you do need to take the day off, please apply for the leave on the HR portal, communicate to your team that you will be unavailable, reschedule your meetings and proactively communicate if deadlines are getting impacted Do not abuse these leaves or use them as a crutch to take time out for other pending tasks Take care of yourself – regular focus on fitness and diet has a positive impact on every bit of your physical and mental health A note for men – our female colleagues expressing that they are on their period leave shouldn’t be uncomfortable for us. This is a part of life, and while we don’t fully understand what women go through, we need to trust them when they say they need to rest this out. I know that menstrual cramps are very painful for a lot of women – and we have to support them through it if we want to build a truly collaborative culture at Zomato.

Stay calm, and strong. Deepinder

What’s next? Pandora’s box has been opened. Let’s just analyze this from the perspective of a shared assumption that we live in a patriarchal society that has systematically oppressed women and we should look to improve upon that dismal record. Maybe that’s a reach for a starting point and will have already lost some, but let’s at least start with that assumption. Now, lets use Twitter replies to track the conversation - what could possibly go wrong? All I can say is, trust me, behind each of these sentiments expressed in a tweet, there are numerous blog posts and media articles, so these aren’t outliers selected for effect.

First, seems like this is a step forward from some of the early replies:

A great move by Zomato. I always wanted some company to start this as this is much needed. I hope that this is a trendsetter. — Divyanshi Mangal (@divyanshimangal) August 8, 2020

I have worked with you guys for about an year and it feels really proud to be associated with you ,you guys nailed it ! #hatsoff #breakingthetaboo @LabourMinistry this is an amazing initiative and strict rules should be set up for these matters around the country. — Akash Padha (@akashpadha1) August 8, 2020

Thank you zomato. I don’t work with you but I’m so happy for the woman who do. :) — PalakMittal🎭 (@TheUnrestSoul) August 8, 2020

Despite being a male founded company, it’s heartwarming to see @Zomato recognizing the value and needs of all the employees — Charu Pardasani (@pardasanicharu) August 8, 2020

But there was immediately some backlash as well, and not just from those that disagree with my initial premise.

There was anti-equality sentiment:

Women are equal to men. Stop making provisions for them. They can do everything a man can. A self respecting woman will never opt for special provisions made only for them. She will compete with everyone on equal footing. — Free.i.am (@Freeiam2) August 8, 2020

This is preferential treatment and not equality. Dont at me — کفر اد دین (@crystalmet) August 9, 2020

There was the law of unintended consequences:

This is an extremely dangerous precedent 2 set.Provide equal opportunities in appointments, promotions n pay structure. Providing holidays as period leaves will only work as a deterrence 2 employers in hiring women.I don’t think or support the idea tht women need period leaves. — Madhubanti Chatterjee (@MadhubantiChat3) August 8, 2020

This led to a deeper discussion on taboos around menstruation as well as its differing impact on different women.

It seems like a good idea, but wonder how it translates in a country where periods are considered dirty and a sign of weakness. This may only perpetuate those notions. Zomato announces up to 10 days #menstrualleave in a year https://t.co/X3krQ2GJsF #menstruation #India — Shikha Bhatnagar (@bhatnagar76) August 26, 2020

I reported Kargil with my period and no sanitary pads because my bag got shelled. I took a combiflam for the pain and carried on,using toilet paper. If i had wanted period leave, id never have been sent to report the war. — barkha dutt (@BDUTT) August 11, 2020

Periods are natural. That’s what makes us women. We as women want equality of opportunity, not exceptions. I agree Barkha. — Kamalrukh Kahn (@kamalrukhkhan) August 11, 2020

The other thing hideous about the idea of Period Leave is how it turns a normal biological experience into some sort of monumental event, gendering us at the work place when we have fought so hard to not be gendered. You can troll me all you want. Wont change my mind on this — barkha dutt (@BDUTT) August 11, 2020

Disagree, Barkha!

I know “No uterus, no opinion,” and I hate to use ‘but’, but, having seen the excruciating pain some women go through, it’s good to have the option of period leaves. Don’t take it if you don’t need it, why say it should not be there at all! https://t.co/2u50W797tS — V (@ivivek_nambiar) August 11, 2020

So where does this leave us? Perhaps there’s a way to thread the needle here to achieve the goals we all agree with sans the controversy. Try this version of a revised letter, with insertions in bold or italics for deletions.

**Team **(DELETE Ladies),

At Zomato, we want to foster a culture of trust, truth and acceptance. Starting today**, “on my period” will be included on the list of medically accepted forms of sick leave. We are also including 10 additional days of sick leave for all employees of Zomato**. (DELETE all women (including transgender people) at Zomato can avail up to 10 days of period leaves in a year.)

Why 10? Most women have ~14 menstrual cycles in a year. Adjusting for the probability of you having your periods on a weekend, you can now rightfully avail 10 extra leaves (DELETE compared to men You can only take one period leave for each menstrual cycle)

Zomato understands that men and women are born with different biological realities. It is our job to make sure that we make room for our biological needs, while not lowering the bar for the quality of our work and the impact that we create There shouldn’t be any shame or stigma attached to applying for a period leave. You should feel free to tell people on internal groups, or emails that you are on your period leave for the day In case you face any unnecessary harassment, or distasteful comments from men or women about the fact that you applied for a period leave, or that you are vocal about it, please report them to speakup@zomato.com – our prevention of sexual harassment (POSH) team will quickly spring into action While we are introducing this leave to build a more inclusive work culture, a word of necessary advice –

Stay calm, and strong. Deepinder

Doesn’t this solve the problem?

We take a gendered perspective to understand the differing realities of women and create a sick leave policy that accommodates that perspective.
We acknowledge that not all women are the same and may differ in their menstrual cramps and how they deal with it.
We apply equally so that it applies to individuals (of any sex) that may have their unique medical issues that require greater sick leave.
We address the taboos around menstruation head-on to try and improve how we culturally address menstruation

**I wonder if we focus so much on our disagreements that we miss productive paths to agreement. **