Would you wear a badge to let your colleagues know you’re on your period?
That’s what employees are being asked to do in one women’s health store in Osaka, Japan, in a bid to get staff and customers talking about menstruation, according to WWD Japan.
Michi Kake, a shop that sells health products including menstrual cups and period pants, will encourage staff to don a badge featuring the cartoon character Seiri-chan, a symbol of menstruation in Japan, whenever they’re on their period.
But in a world where period stigma is rife, would the same concept outside of a women’s health store – say, in your standard office or on a construction site – make things better or worse for the menstruating workforce?Related... 9 Things
Women Really Want You To Know About Their Periods 【オープン取材】大丸梅田店の「ミチカケ」が導入している“生理バッジ”は人気漫画「生理ちゃん」が目印。普段から付けている紙のプレートを裏返しにするだけで着用できます。着用の判断はスタッフに委ねているそう。https://t.co/uEaHqxYmm0#ミチカケpic.twitter.com/eMJeysEiyu— WWD
Japan (@wwd_jp) November 22, 2019We know that completing a regular working day isn’t easy for everyone who has periods, particularly those experiencing the debilitating effect of conditions including endometriosis.
Research published in the BMJ in September found 13.8% of women who have periods had missed work or school because of it – but most felt unable to be honest about the reason. Among those who’d called in sick, only 20.1% told their employer or school that their absence was due to menstrual complaints.
More openness about periods seems “desirable”, the researchers concluded, considering 67.7% of the participants wished they had greater flexibility in their tasks and working hours during their periods.
So, is a period badge the answer? No, says Emma Barnett, journalist and author of the book Period. “I don’t think this helps,” she tells HuffPost UK.
“Women don’t need a badge. They need the voice to vocalise any issues their periods present. They also need others – loved ones and colleagues – to rid themselves of their unnecessary and ill-founded squeamishness about a perfectly normal bodily process.” And Natalie Byrne, author of the inclusive guidebook Period agrees. “I think this is a type of othering and segregating,” she says. “Why do we need a badge? We have been contributing to society while being our periods for millennia already.”Women don’t need a badge. They need the voice to vocalise any issues their periods presentEmma Barnett,
BBC journalist and author of PeriodOthers on
Twitter echoed Barnett and Byrne’s concerns, with one person arguing that badges could even fuel stigma, making comments like “she’s in a bad mood because she’s on her period” the norm.
But Christina Sylvester, 25, from Manchester, has endometriosis and says anything that helps raise awareness of the condition – be it badges or HR initiatives – is welcome. She believes talking about periods is one step towards ensuring women with endometriosis receive support like they would for any other medical condition.
“It’s the first I’m hearing of this women’s health store in Japan and I’m all for it,” she tells HuffPost UK. “I can’t put into words how debilitating the condition is. I think workplaces need to understand [endometriosis] is not ‘just a period’, it’s intense emotional stress, awful bowel symptoms, nausea, and even the inability to sit, lay down or eat anything.”
Perhaps instead of badges, we need to look at the bigger picture, says Byrne, and create a “society that listens and values equality”.
“The stigma and the shame isn’t about the person who’s menstruating, it’s about the government, the businesses, the schools and therefore the society, that create a system in which period shame is perpetuated,” she says.
“I know I wouldn’t feel comfortable wearing one in public and I wrote a bloody book on periods.”READ MORE: How Do Sportswomen Manage Their Periods? We Asked 3 At The Top Of Their Game We Tried Period Pants And Got Brutally Honest About Our Experiences Is My Period Normal? How To Know When It's Time To See A Doctor We all work hard to earn our money – so it shouldn’t feel like hard work to spend it well. At HuffPost Finds we’ll help you find the best stuff that deserves your cash, from the ultimate lipstick to a durable iron to replace the one that broke (RIP). All our choices are completely independent but we may earn a small commission if you click a link and make a purchase.