The food aggregator is not the first to offer paid leave for women on their periods—the state of Bihar has had similar privileges for government employees since 1992. But it restarts the conversation on stigma, discrimination and superstition
Employees work at Zomato’s headquarters in Gurugram, India, Aug. 27, 2019. Zomato, a global food-delivery company based in India, announced a new paid period leave policy for employees on Saturday, Aug. 8, 2020, allowing up to 10 days of period leave a year.
Image: Sahiba Chawdhary/The New York Times
How many days a month have you missed work or requested a day off for stomach pains and cramps because of menstruation?
This is the question one of India’s largest food-delivery firms, Zomato, put to its 4,000 employees, 35% of whom are women, in announcing a new paid period leave policy for employees Saturday. The policy, not common among large global companies, allows up to 10 days of period leave a year and applies to transgender employees.
The policy is considered a bold move in tackling an age-old taboo in India, where 71% of young women remain unaware of menstruation until their first cycle, according to UNICEF.
The company’s founder and chief executive officer, Deepinder Goyal, said in a statement to his employees: “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.”
He added, “This is a part of life.”
©2019 New York Times News Service