Zambia women’s ‘day off for periods’ sparks debate

The Zambia Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU), the umbrella body representing the country’s workers, is also a supporter of the law.

But the entitlement “would have to be forfeited” if a woman were to take it on a day that she was not on her period, says Catherine Chinunda, national trustee at ZCTU.

“We have been educating women about Mother’s Day, telling them that on that day, they are supposed to rest and not even go shopping or do other jobs because that is wrong,” she says.

The law itself provides no guidance about what is allowed and it would appear that very few, if any, employers have internal policy guidance in that respect.

She dismisses the idea that men should also get a day off every month, as has been suggested by some:

“Men sometimes go to drink and miss work…. they don’t know how it feels to be on menses.”

But while praising the concept of Mother’s Day, some argue that the reality is bad for business.

“Your superiors may have planned work for you to do and when you suddenly stay away from work, it means work will suffer, says Harrington Chibanda, head of the Zambia Federation of Employers.