Should every Australian worker get paid reproductive leave?

When Georgia miscarried her first pregnancy, she felt she couldn't take as much leave as she needed.The graphic designer, in her 20s, experienced pregnancy loss at 13 weeks earlier this year, saying it was "emotionally super traumatic", but she returned to work almost immediately."Emotionally and physically it was one of the most painful things I've ever been through and I only took two days off."There's sort of no guidelines or there was nothing written into any of our policies about miscarriage and what you do and what's expected of you."While that experience stood out, Georgia said "hormones flying'' and physical discomfort linked to her menstrual cycle was something she faced regularly, but taking time off work didn't feel like an option."If I was to have a day off because of period pain, I think I would actually make something else up and just say I have stomach pain," Georgia said."It still feels like I have to cover it. I still feel there's guilt and a stigma around using period pain as an excuse."A federal inquiry is considering whether Australia's National Employment Standards (NES) are still fit for purpose, with several submissions pitching a need for reproductive leave, among other suggestions. The inquiry's recommendations are expected later this year.Some unions, lawyers and advocates are pushing for at least 10 days of non-cumulative paid reproductive leave on top of existing sick leave.So, what could the leave cover?Queensland public sector workers are entitled to 10 days of paid reproductive health leave. (Pexels: Sora Shimazaki)Some submissions to the inquiry suggest reproductive leave could cover things such as fertility treatment, miscarriage, menstrual pain, menopause and endometriosis.Some suggest reproductive leave could cover men too, for things such as prostate cancer screening, vasectomies and other allied health conditions.Advocates call for it to be in addition to the standard 10 days of sick leave, not instead of it.And they say it's not just about leave, it's also about workplaces offering more flexibility.Georgia believes reproductive leave would be significantly helpful."Ideally I would be able to work from home but like have my heat pack, wear elastic waist pants, and move around so that I'm lying on the floor or squatting or sitting cross-legged or moving around so my belly feels more comfortable."She believes many workplaces weren't designed with women's health in mind."Working traditionally was for men. It was built around men. There was no consideration of the female cycle."Reproductive leave overseasSeveral countries have introduced policies recognising the impact of menstrual health at work.Spain became the first European country to introduce paid menstrual leave in 2023.Japan has had menstrual leave provisions since 1947, though doesn't guarantee the leave is paid, nor the number of days available, while Indonesia, South Korea, Zambia and several states in Mexico also have menstrual leave policies in place.In Australia, some employers have already introduced menstrual and reproductive health leave or flexible work arrangements to support staff experiencing period pain and other reproductive health conditions.Montana Lower is the founder of INBLUEM, a natural skincare business in regional New South Wales, where she says workplace flexibility and a family-centric approach are built into the company's culture.Employees can access flexible working arrangements, and staff can choose to share their cycle dates through a dedicated team calendar filter.Ms Lower says recognising the natural fluctuations of the menstrual cycle has benefited both employees and the business."When we started making space for that cyclical nature, we noticed an increase in productivity and in how people felt showing up to work," she said.She's also a strong supporter of universal reproductive leave, arguing menstrual health shouldn't be treated as an illness."I disagree with it falling under sick leave because I don't believe cycling women are sick," she said."We're undergoing a very necessary process that life depends upon."Queensland public sector wins reproductive leaveIn 2024, the Queensland government gave about 320,000 public sector workers access to 10 days of paid reproductive leave as part of a new agreement with the unions.Queensland Council of Unions general secretary Jacqueline King says they now want to see it rolled out nationally.Jacqueline King wants paid reproductive leave to be available nationally. (Supplied)"Queensland has opened up that doorway for people to actually talk about what are real-life issues and everyday issues for many women, and a recognition that you're not slacking off."Modelling from the Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre, which was commissioned by a group of unions including the Queensland Council of Unions, found reproductive health issues cost the Australian economy $21.3 billion a year.It factors in employee absences and the impact of people working through pain at a reduced capacity.Michelle O'Shea is a researcher in workplace equity at Western Sydney University who, along with colleagues, made a submission to the National Employment Standards (NES) inquiry calling for all Australian workers to receive reproductive leave."We've got a situation where women are engaged in the labour market in a way never seen before," Dr O'Shea told triple j hack.She argues governments ultimately want to keep women in the workforce."So what that also means is we're going to have, increasingly, women experiencing things like perimenopause and menopause while they're also negotiating, obviously, paid employment."Dr O'Shea says it's also important to challenge the idea of the "ideal worker"."Women's bodies are often thought of as being leaky and problematic. No, they're not. It's just the workplace environments in which many people operate are very inflexible. And a lot of that is because of a discourse of the past."Could small businesses absorb the costs?Not everyone thinks legislating reproductive leave is the right way forward.Liam Jones from the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry says employers understand reproductive health issues can be hard to deal with, but believes a more flexible approach is needed."Many small businesses simply can't absorb the extra cost, particularly given they're dealing with a cost-of-doing-business crisis."We think a more balanced approach is needed, one that supports people through genuine flexibility and the entitlements that already exist, without bringing new costs onto the businesses that employ them."A government spokesperson said the National Employment Standards committee was considering all evidence carefully and would make recommendations accordingly.The government will then consider those recommendations.