Offering Australian workers 12 days of reproductive leave would cost employers $920 million annually but this figure is up to 30 times less than the cost of long-term inaction.
A new report from Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre has calculated the country’s lack of such entitlements could cost the economy up to $26.55 billion annually, due to absenteeism, loss of productivity during work hours, costs of carers, forgone wages, superannuation where available, and various other medical expenses. By contrast, offering workers reproductive health leave would cost employers roughly $920 million per year.
The report, commissioned by the Health Services Union (HSU), Queensland Council of Trade Unions and superannuation fund Aware Super, calculated rough costs based on rates of reproductive health conditions, wages, average days of missed work and employment rates.
“Severe menstrual pain alone costs women nearly nine productive days a year, while those experiencing menopause with severe symptoms face a 25 per cent drop in productivity,” the report stats.
The report describes reproductive health leave as any paid time off work to treat and/or manage conditions or procedures related to reproductive health. They can include severe menstrual pain, painful or irregular periods, menopause, IVF treatments, vasectomies, gender transitioning therapies, endometriosis and other reproductive health issues, including preventive reproductive health such as screenings for breast cancer and prostate cancer.
Endometriosis, one of the most prevalent reproductive health issues facing women and affecting an estimated one in seven Australian women, is one of the conditions that will be covered under the proposed leave. For Marshall, it’s a critical issue to address for women in the workplace.
The Health Services Union, a specialist union that covers more than 52,000 healthcare employees across the country, said that the report contributes to the urgent calls for such universal entitlements to be introduced in Australia. It has been working to ensure that the leave will be included in the national employment standards (NES) which are the minimum employment entitlements that must be provided to all employees.
If it is successfully implemented, Australia would become one of the first countries globally to enact universal reproductive leave policy.
The report also identified a number of possible risks associated with implementing the proposed leave, including perpetuating stereotypes and discrimination against women in the workplace, and fears that the leave could be used as a “blanket policy” for people managing a range of reproductive conditions.
Last year, a Senate inquiry into issues related to menopause and perimenopause recommended introducing paid gender-inclusive leave and altering the Fair Work Act to make sure women had access to flexible working arrangements during menopause.
Among the 25 recommendations, the committee also encouraged Australian workplaces to “develop perimenopause and menopause workplace policies in consultation with their employees,” and asked the Australian Government to “consider how to expand the scope of practice of nurse practitioners to ensure better support for women experiencing menopause in rural and regional areas.”
Last October, the Queensland Government introduced 10 days paid reproductive leave for public sector nurses and midwives. The historic decision was seen as a promising incentive for other states and territories to follow, with Queensland Nurses and Midwives’ Union (QNMU) Secretary Sarah Beaman calling it “a major win for Queensland’s largest, predominantly female workforce.”
“We celebrate leave for menopause, preventative screening and other issues linked to reproductive health,” she said at the time.
The latest report by Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre notes success stories overseas, such as Japan and Italy, where reproductive leave policies have been available in various forms.
According to the report, menstrual leave policies are the most common form of reproductive health leave.
Since 1947, Japan’s Labour Standards Law has ensured female workers are entitled to menstrual leave, however they are not always guaranteed pay on the days off, which means that often women refuse to take the leave.
Indonesia also offers women menstrual leave policy, allowing women to take two days off work each cycle. Though again, the fact that it is categorised as a workplace entitlement means that employees have to negotiate the terms of the leave with their individual employers.
In 2023, Spain became the first European country to offer women three days of menstrual leave per month, with the government paying for the leave provision. But the historic policy has been divisive, with figures in 2024 showing that the leave has had a low access rate.