Sarah Harte: How do we recognise periods at work without entrenching inequality?

Research shows menstruation has a serious impact on women's health and wellbeing — but how do we make workplaces recognise that without stereotyping women?

Women’s working lives have changed a lot, but some assumptions formed in a very different employment landscape still influence workplace structures. This is not a ‘men are bad’ argument. It’s about institutional inheritance. These are high walls to breach.

We’ve come a long way since menstruation was something not openly discussed. The proliferation of period product ads on television is progress because it brings the issue into view.

But they do take a kind of ‘lean ar aghaidh, a chailín’ line with a distinct empowerment theme. Highly active menstrual women run, jump, dance, rollerblade, and do backflips, often in skimpy clothing.