News Introduction of "menstrual leave" in schools! Why students raise their voices. The current situation of collapsing with menstrual pain and vomiting

Article 68 of the Labor Standards Act ``If a woman who has significant difficulty working during her menstrual period requests leave, the employer shall not have her work during her menstrual period.'' menstrual leave.

On the other hand, there is no such system in elementary school, junior high school, or high school.

In response to this situation, there are calls for "menstrual leave" at schools.

On December 24th, I submitted a request to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology to introduce "menstrual leave" at school.

In addition, the following reasons were given as free descriptions.

・ I can't sit in a chair because of menstrual pain, and I have to wear a skirt, so my body gets cold and my menstrual pain gets worse.

・I don't feel like going to school if my underwear and futon are covered in blood in the morning.

・My back hurts, I'm tired, I get irritated by casual things

・I hate physical education because I feel sick when my napkin slips

・ I can't stop crying during class due to mental anxiety

・I don't feel well, so it's troublesome to visit the pool

・I can't go to the toilet freely, so I'm worried about leaks

・It is clear that you cannot perform normally.

・Because there were times when I wasn't in a state to attend classes because I was mentally exhausted.

・I don't want to enter the pool for reasons such as hygiene and tampons

・I can't take the pill because I'm worried about the risk. Taking medicine makes me sleepy and I don't feel like taking it

・ I fell asleep during class due to back pain and sleepiness.

・I'm worried about the smell

・I'm worried about menstrual blood staining my skirt, and on days with a lot of menstrual blood, it may be stained

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・I don't have time to change my napkin and I feel sick

Nearly 70% put up with taking a break

On the other hand, 68.3% of those who wanted to take a break from school, classes, club activities, or PE due to menstruation put up with taking a break. and answered.

As reasons for not being able to take time off, many said, "I thought it would have a negative impact on my grades and grades," and "I didn't think it was okay to take time off because of my period."

On the other hand, many of the troubles that they couldn't rest were ``I couldn't concentrate on classes, etc.'' and ``My physical condition got worse.''

"I endured and collapsed at school", "I vomited on my way home"

Furthermore, because I could not rest, I experienced experiences such as "I fell down at school" and "I fell asleep in class". A lot of talks were gathered.

・I went to the infirmary with severe menstrual cramps and forgot to go to the painkiller class, so I went to pick it up, but as soon as I got to the classroom in the middle of it, I was vomiting and fell down. The teacher came and carried me on a stretcher.

In the middle of the biology class, my stomach hurt and I felt faint, but I was embarrassed because it was a male teacher and I couldn't say I wanted to go to the bathroom or go to the infirmary, so I put up with it. As soon as I stood up after class, my legs wobbled and I desperately called for help from the teacher, and was put on a stretcher and taken to the infirmary.

During class, I thought my grades would go down, but it hurt so much that I fell asleep on my desk at the limit of my patience.

I was full of apologies to the teacher.

※I'm almost absent at university.

・I don't have many memories of class because I feel dizzy with menstrual cramps.

Sitting in a cold chair all the time during class is the hardest, and I feel uncomfortable going to the infirmary in the middle, so I continue to endure the pain.

I couldn't concentrate on the test and my grades dropped.

I feel that I was not able to convey what I wanted to convey on the day of my important presentation, and that I was not able to achieve results.

・I fell asleep during class because of a headache, so I was warned.

・I can still go to the bathroom during class, but when I am restrained for hours sitting on the cold floor at an assembly, I am worried that my blood will get on the floor and my skirt, which makes me feel even worse. .

・During pmdd, when I was working hard to go to school, my mood dropped all at once, and I almost died from depression.

・When I consulted with a male homeroom teacher, I was told that I don't need to rest if I'm on my period.

・Since it is a technical university, there are many male teachers and students, so it is difficult to say why.

・Since I was aiming for a perfect attendance award, I couldn't take a day off because of my period. It was really painful to suffer on the day of the university entrance examination, it may be an excuse, but I wanted to challenge in my original perfect physical condition.

・When I was in junior high school, I had a work experience for only two days, and on that day I had heavy menstrual symptoms. She had a work experience at a beauty salon, where she stood longer than usual and vomited on the side of the road on her way home.

・I was warned that I was dazed when I took classes without taking a break. At that time, it was the second day of my period, and I had a lot of menstrual blood.

・Although I did not actually miss classes, I have experienced a particularly heavy menstruation just before the exam period. I couldn't concentrate on studying for exams because of my period, and in addition to stomach and back pain, I was emotionally unstable, and I cried while studying. When everyone was probably studying, I felt like I was the only one who wasn't able to concentrate, and at that time, I thought it would be nice if there was a supplementary menstruation test.

・When I forced myself to attend because I didn't want to be absent from my grades, I ended up collapsing.

・It was hard to take a break because I couldn't say that it was a male teacher's class.

・Because the homeroom teacher was a male teacher and it was difficult to say, and because there was a classmate who told me to do my best even if I was late.

・When I couldn't do something at school (club activities, physical education, etc.), I was in trouble because I couldn't explain why I was on my period.

・There is no problem with menstrual breaks such as swimming pools because menstrual blood does not leak underwater. So do it. It was a stance.

・There have been several times when I went to school thinking it was okay, not because I couldn't rest, but ended up feeling sick and vomiting at school. The hardest way home

・I had a lot of menstrual blood and it leaked down to my skirt.

・I don't want to take a break, but the school side takes it easy and leaves early, but I'm troubled by the contradictions related to the school report.

・I was scolded for having a bad attitude in class when I crouched down because of severe abdominal pain and headache during class.

・If you miss school due to menstrual cramps, points will be deducted. My class attitude was also drawn, and my physical condition didn't get better.

My grades and grades were lowered because I was treated as absent

One in three students said, "My grades and grades were lowered because I was treated as absent." reached a certain percentage.

Free description

・I was targeted for supplementary lessons due to insufficient attendance rate

・I felt it was difficult to gain an understanding of menstruation from male students.

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・I was on my period because I was absent, but I had to run instead of the pool.

・I missed an important class, and the teacher gave me a bad impression.

・I didn't get credit

・When I was late and went to contact my teacher, I was asked by a male teacher why I was absent and I couldn't answer that it was my period.

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・I didn't get the perfect attendance award.

Menstruation education by gender

In this survey, we asked what kind of education about menstruation they had received so far. was also found to be inadequate.

Q. What kind of physiology education have you received so far? Please tell me specifically. (Example) When, how long, from whom, how, gender mixed or separate, etc.

・Up to elementary school, the boys are separated by gender before going on school trips, etc., and the girls are simply taught how to prepare for menstruation. I don't remember being taught anything in middle school. Home economics childcare in high school? In class, they are taught only as part of the "mechanism of the female body", and they are not told that the symptoms are different for each person or something really important.

・When I was in the 4th grade of elementary school, I gathered only girls for about 10 minutes from the nurse's room teacher in the form of actually showing off how to spread the napkin, how to attach it to the underwear, and how to throw it away in front of the children. was taken away.

・When I was in the 5th grade of elementary school, only female students were taught by a female teacher. I was taught that menstruation is not embarrassing, how to use sanitary napkins, and that female teachers will support you if you get your first period at school. In junior high school, both boys and girls studied in health and physical education classes.

・Before outdoor learning at elementary school, only girls in the grade were gathered, and the school nurse told them to consult with a female teacher if they were in trouble, such as how to clean up dirty napkins. In junior high school, classes were separated by gender, and for girls, the health and physical education teacher and school nurse explained mainly about the structure of the body, including pregnancy and childbirth. In high school, both boys and girls were co-ed, and the health and physical education teacher gave me the same explanation as in junior high school.

・When I was in the upper grades of elementary school, only girls in the grade were gathered after school and received an explanation. It was only a rough explanation that a woman's body has menstruation every month due to pregnancy, but she never taught me how to deal with it or how to deal with menstrual pain.

・I learned about gender-segregated health care. When I was a junior high school student, it was once or twice a year, but only physiological phenomena (reproductive stories such as from the uterus at about what age), what kind of symptoms actually exist, what role does it play? etc. was not taught.

・For the first time in the 4th grade of elementary school, we were divided into gender-segregated classrooms (men were assigned to boys and female teachers were assigned to girls), and we learned about menstruation and ejaculation using the same sex education video using two frames. . After that, before the 5th and 6th grades stayed overnight, we reviewed menstruation (unknown for boys) separately for men and women.・In junior high school, I probably learned about menstruation around the second grade, but it overlapped with what I learned in elementary school. Men and women were separated because it was divided in the same way as physical education.・In high school, there was a learning opportunity as a light refresher on the mechanism of menstruation. This is a mixed gender class (similar to classroom lectures such as Kokuma Ei).

・Until junior high school, it was separated by gender. She was told that although there are individual differences, the idea of ​​taking a break from menstruation is not a good idea because all the women who work now are working hard on their periods. When I couldn't participate in the pool, it was a stair dash from the first basement floor to the fifth floor + sit-up push-ups. (Female junior high school physical education teacher)

・Both men and women have a health and physical education class, so short that it only takes about 3 hours! I was taught the principle of menstruation, but I really wanted to know who to turn to if my period was painful, information about pills and gynecology, and I wanted boys to know about our bodies.

・When I was in elementary school, the health teacher taught only girls about ``the arrival of menstruation and how to use napkins'' for a short period of time, such as after physical measurements were finished. In junior high school, I learned about menstruation from a mixed-gender health and physical education teacher in a health and physical education class. I didn't learn about use, PMS, etc.

Medical education for men, compulsory education on menstrual pain and access to gynecology departments

Q. What would you like to learn about menstruation at school?

・I want to know the diseases related to menstruation. I recently found out that I have a disease called PMDD because my mind is unstable before and during my period. Until then, it was said that it was a different disease, so I wish I had known about it sooner.

・ Sanitary products other than napkins. I want men to know about women's menstruation.

・[Time]

I would like you to teach me how to use napkins and menstrual symptoms and how to deal with them earlier (around the 2nd and 3rd semester of the 4th grade).

It may be better to teach the principles of menstruation in the upper grades because they have the ability to understand, but the timing of menarche varies from person to person, so menstruation is proof that the body has become an adult. I think it's better to go to the person who is the first to match the symptoms of menstrual pain and how to deal with it.

[Contents]

Where and how to change napkins

There are facilities where you can get a pad when you suddenly get your period.

in detail.

・There are various symptoms for each person, what to consult with a doctor (uterus health, pills and side effects), symptoms change depending on age, have an attitude that it is not embarrassing as an atmosphere , There are many sanitary products now - to choose

・It's okay to take a break, you should go to the hospital if you have a heavy period, there are various sanitary products, and you can consult if you can't buy sanitary products.

・I wanted to know earlier that there are sanitary products other than pads and tampons.

・I wanted to know earlier that taking a low-dose pill relieved my symptoms.

・I want you to tell me that there are people who have the same information for both men and women, and that menstruation affects their lives.

・Individual differences in amount and color, danger signs of illness, how to deal with pain, methods other than pills and napkins, premenstrual syndrome, when should you go to the hospital if menstruation does not come?

・Social issues such as poverty in menstruation, countermeasures against PMDD and PMS, explanation of the pill in the context of menstruation rather than contraception

・A story that lowers the hurdles to gynecology, an option for people with severe menstrual pain

・I would like to make it a time for not only girls but also boys to learn that menstruation is not a part of sex education, but that the body is about to change in order to become an adult, and that the knowledge of menstruation is also changing to adults.

・I would like to receive education for both men and women about how much menstruation and menstrual cramps affect physical condition (e.g. severe people get dizzy or have a stomach ache so bad they can't even get up). And I want you to have an education that tells you not to overdo it when it's hard.

・I would like you to teach both men and women manners, such as not to be the target of teasing. When does it happen, how long does it last, what do you do when you don't have a pad, what should you do if someone is in trouble, what happens when you have severe period pain? I want both men and women to have knowledge about when to go to the hospital.

・Some women don't feel pain, so I want both men and women to know about it.

・How to go to obstetrics and gynecology regarding pills and menstrual medicine (because I hesitate to go alone)

・I want to learn how to use tampons and menstrual cups. How to use menstrual cups, tampons, napkins, etc., mechanisms, coping methods when feeling unwell, normal/abnormal (period, menstrual blood volume, pain, etc.)

・The weight and tightness are different for each person. I want boys to know correctly and be careful in their daily lives. Because I think that such consideration will be the foundation of mutual understanding. For example, both boys and girls should know that children who take the pill are not sexually uninhibited, but have various reasons such as heavy menstrual cramps and irregular menstruation. Only women play an important part in reproduction, but men continue to act irresponsibly, such as ignoring contraceptives due to the wrong knowledge of AV.

・I didn't know about the existence of menstrual leave until I became a university student, so I would like you to tell me as soon as possible as one of the important rights.

・I want to know the options. There was a lot of it, and when I was in high school, I used to stain my skirt every time. I learned that college students have tampons, pills, and menstrual cups in addition to disposable pads, and my periods have become much easier. I wanted to know as soon as possible that menstruation is not a taboo, that you have to go to an obstetrician and gynecologist if you have severe menstrual cramps, and that you can take a break if you find it difficult because there are individual differences.

・I want you to teach men properly. It's strange to live in a society where menstrual leave is said to be unfair.

・I wanted you to tell me about menstrual cramps, pms, and medicine. My parents were old-fashioned and didn't encourage me to actively use drugs, so I started using them for the first time when my school nurse recommended them to me when I was in high school. I want you to teach boys, not just men and women. When I was a junior high school student, there was a boy who made fun of girls with rough skin, and said things like, "I'm irritated, it's my period," when I was warned. Also, in a recent survey, I was shocked to find that the number one image of men's menstruation was "irritated". I can't believe that I have only a negative impression without knowing why that happens, the mechanism, or the state of my body.

・Symptoms such as menstrual cramps and PMS, and their pain and symptoms differ from person to person.

・How often do you change sanitary products, how much does it cost on average per month, and where to go when you don't have money?

・I want teachers to be careful rather than wanting to learn. So I want you to teach me the same. Also, if there is a school system that allows teachers to take days off as a matter of course, I think it will be easier for students to accept menstruation naturally.

・I would be happy if there was a class that eliminates prejudices about menstruation. For example, taking the pill is effective not only for contraception but also for relieving severe menstrual cramps. Rest is not a pampering but an important action for the future.

Also, I would like men to take the same class.

More than 90% agree with the introduction of “menstrual leave” at schools

Q. Please tell me the reason for your answer

(agree)

・It hurts so much that I can't stand it. I felt my life in danger. When I got my period, I was afraid that I would collapse again.

Because the mind becomes unstable before and during menstruation, it is not even a class.

・There are individual differences in menstruation, and it is not good for the body for children with severe symptoms to force themselves to go to school.

・Because the severity of menstrual pain and the amount of menstrual blood vary depending on the individual's constitution, I think it is unfair that only those who have painful menstrual pain have more days absent.

I myself was a healthy child who had never been to the infirmary before my period started, but after I entered high school, my menstrual pain became worse and I was absent from school due to it (within 2 months). About once), because I am very worried that it will affect my scholarship application.

・Until now, it was said that taking a rest due to menstruation was unfair.

・I'm worried that if I tell people I'm not feeling well because of my period and take a break, they might think I'm not in control of my physical condition, but I'm also reluctant to tell them I'm on my period. I didn't know the term "menstrual leave" for the first time, so I don't know how it is used, but I felt that it would be easier to contact someone if I could just say "menstrual leave".

・My period was heavy and I often had to miss school. Because I've always had regrets about

・In the current situation where there is no menstrual leave, it is not visualized that it is a disadvantage unique to women because it is simply "poor health" due to anxiety that teachers and people around them will not understand. This is because I believe that if menstruation leave is introduced, it will be differentiated from other holidays, and the existence of menstruation will be visualized, and it will be possible to think of ways to deal with it, such as supplementing it with online classes.

・Because I think it's necessary to have a system where you can say it's hard when it's hard and you won't be treated unfairly.

・Because I think that there are still many people who are suffering from the common sense of resting when they are sick, but are paralyzed when they are faced with the reason of menstruation.

・Because there was a time when I cried every day because my period was painful and painful. I think menstrual leave is a great thing.

・Because you will be able to take it as a matter of course from an early age to take a rest for your period.

・I am very grateful that it is not an absence but an official absence. However, I think it is difficult to cover up the class content for the rest.

・Currently, the number of days attended is recorded in the grades and affects the examination. I think the lack of menstrual leave only puts people with female bodies at a disadvantage. If it is introduced in the workplace, I think it should be introduced in schools as well.

・First of all, it should be there. It makes sense to say that you have the free right to choose whether you want to stay or not. The rest is personal choice.

・There are children who come to school while throwing up in the bathroom due to menstrual cramps.

・The reason why some people miss school due to menstruation and their grades drop is due to a lack of understanding of the individual's body, especially because I feel that it is unfair to women.

・Since it is an environment where it is difficult to take time off even with menstrual cramps, I think that the school should actively encourage taking menstrual leave.

・People with severe menstrual cramps may become immobile or faint. If you go to school in such a state, you may have an accident, and you will not be able to concentrate on your classes. Menstruation itself is a physiological phenomenon, but menstrual cramps, headaches, anemia, etc. that occur from it are not bad physical conditions, so you should be able to take a rest. Also, since menstruation is unique to women and varies greatly from person to person, I think it should be considered separately from general sick leave and absenteeism, so I support the introduction of menstrual leave in schools.

・Because I think it is necessary. However, I would like students and teachers of all genders to have a certain level of understanding so that teasing does not occur. Don't just have a system.

・There were many days of absence due to menstruation, and it was recommended.

・Because menstrual pain, PMS, ovulation pain, etc. are excellent diseases. I can't understand why I can't rest for reasons related to menstruation when I can rest for other illnesses. I think people who don't get their periods or who have mild menstrual cramps should know exactly how painful it is.

・On the contrary, why do those who oppose it? To be honest, the only people who are troubled by resting are those who are behind in their studies, so honestly speaking, I think it would be good if you could leave those who are resting alone. Women and those who think it is unfair to rest only for them, if they are envious, they should say that they are unwell and take a rest. .

By taking a break during puberty, there may be various things to do with a perfect balance, but for a child who is able to go to school every day in good spirits, that is really a blessing, and if you can be proud of yourself for that kind of thing. I want you to teach me good things.

If you become a member of society and work in a company, you may work in a team, so it's a different story, but I don't think it's a problem for students to take menstrual leave.

Don't you have to follow the teacher's administrative burden and study later? I wonder if it's troublesome to deal with such things...

Even if you don't treat anything special, I think you can treat it in the same way as a cold.

I feel relieved when the teacher and the people around me say, "Yes, yes, I understand. Take a good rest."

I also think that what you do with your studies later is up to you to some extent. Borrow notebooks from teachers or friends. ask to be taught. What do you do after you rest? If it's your period, rather than asking everyone later, why don't you ask your teacher to tell you the scope of your study in advance and prepare the printouts you're going to get, etc... and so on. I think that it will be one of the important societal studies to learn how to deal with inconvenience and to do trial and error by yourself.

・Because you can't choose to be born into a gender with menstruation, the weight of your period, etc., you need to consider it accordingly. Because I don't think you should be at a disadvantage compared to people who don't have periods due to factors you can't choose.

・I think it's too unfair for women who have menstruation every month to have their grades and grades go down because of their unavoidable physical condition.

I think it's dishonest to treat men in the same way, even though men have a much higher chance of being healthy every day through self-management of their physical condition than women.

Fairness, not equality.

・I think you will be able to understand why your body is not feeling well and that you can rest without hesitation when you are not feeling well. I think it is especially necessary now that it is difficult to take time off due to menstruation.

In addition, "menstruation" is something that happens due to the structure of the body, and in the current situation in Japan, the pill that stops menstruation is not recommended. There is no other way to deal with it.

・Since menstruation is not painful or painful is not due to age, I think that if children can take time off from their periods in the same way that children take sick leave due to a cold, the society will change so that even adults can take time off.

・My hormones are unstable and I always vomit when I get my period. At night, I can't sleep due to headaches and stomachaches, and when I watch TV or my smartphone to distract myself, I get screen sickness and feel sick. There was a lot of it, so I rushed to the toilet every time because I was worried about leakage, and I suddenly ran out of the classroom during class because I couldn't stand the pain. I think menstruation leave is fine if it's more painful and embarrassing for many female students.

・To be honest, it was because I was suffering. There was a time every month when I took a break, and I didn't want people to think I was slacking off, and I didn't want my grades to drop because of my absence. On the other hand, unlike the common cold, no matter how much I took measures, I would still get my period every month. I couldn't drink. Every time I took a day off from school, my physical education teacher would give me a look like "Hey again," and I didn't take a day off because I wanted to, so I wondered why he had to say that. Even now that I am a university student, I often take days off, so I think the world will really change if menstrual leave is introduced.

・Because menstruation is very difficult and heavy for some people, it is inevitable that they are unwell, so I think they should be treated as official absences like the flu.

・It will be easier for me to take off if I can formally include menstrual leave. Because the tendency to think that it is bad to take a rest during menstruation may disappear.

・While there are people who cannot do anything on their own, it is sad that there are people whose physical condition affects their grades and the number of absences, and affects their ability to go on to higher education.

・Even without this system, it would be nice if the people around me would understand and accept my absence, but what worries me is that my absence will affect my credit. So, like the flu, I think this system is necessary so that when you miss your period, you can treat it as attendance. However, the word "vacation" sounds like you're enjoying your vacation, so you might want to say something like "absent from your period."

Currently, there is a low rate of taking "menstrual leave" at companies, but it is also pointed out that commercials for sanitary products that create a social atmosphere are very different between Japan and overseas.

In Japan, people promote that they do not interfere with daily life as much as possible, but in South Korea, they take up the pain of menstruation head-on and recommend that they take a rest.

Creating an environment where there is no problem even if you take a break, and reforming the way you rest at school

Based on these realities and the voices of those involved, the Japan Youth Council and #Everyone's Menstruation have created a request form. and submitted it to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology on December 24.

Until now, there has been a custom of praising perfect attendance in Japan, and there is still a deep-rooted feeling that ``you shouldn't take a break even if you push yourself a little too hard.''

However, if you force yourself to go to school and fall down at school, it is putting the cart before the horse. is clear.

In addition, in the current situation where the use of online is spreading, it is easy to respond to supplementary lessons.

In recent years, as "work style reform" is progressing in companies, "rest style reform" including teachers may be necessary in schools as well.

December 3rd year of Reiwa

To the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology

Japan Youth Council, #Everybody's period

Request for introduction of "menstrual leave" at school

This time, the Japan Youth Council and #Everyone's Menstruation conducted a joint questionnaire about the introduction of menstrual leave at school. Based on the results of the questionnaire, we will submit a request for the introduction of menstrual leave at school.

The Japan Youth Council is a youth organization that formulates youth policies, holds policy discussions with political parties, and makes policy recommendations as a "window" that delivers the voices of young people to the government and society. #Everyone's period is an organization born from the campaign "Make sanitary products subject to reduced tax rate!" We are working to create a society where everyone's menstrual needs are met and everyone can live their own way.

Currently, for working workers, Article 68 of the Labor Standards Act states, "If a woman who has significant difficulty working on her menstrual period requests leave, the employer shall have her work on her menstrual day." While menstrual leave is permitted under Hananai, there is no such system for junior high and high school students. However, there is no such thing as a junior high school student's menstrual pain is lighter than an adult's.

Therefore, the Japan Youth Council and #Everybody's Menstruation have introduced menstrual leave at elementary, junior high, and high schools for those enrolled in schools (elementary, junior high, high schools, vocational schools, universities, etc.). We conducted a questionnaire about As a result of soliciting responses on the Internet, we received responses from 300 people.

・ 83% of people who have wanted to take a break from class or school due to menstruation

・ 88% of people who have wanted to take a break from club activities or physical education due to menstruation

・ 83.3% of the reasons for wanting to take a break were pain such as headache and abdominal pain.

・68.3% of those who wanted to take a break from school, classes, club activities, or physical education put up with taking a break.

・62.6% of the reasons why they could not rest were because they thought it would have a negative impact on their grades and grades.

・As a problem caused by taking a break from classes and club activities due to menstruation, many people cited "My grades and grades were lowered because I was treated as absent".

・2% of respondents said their school had guidelines regarding menstruation.

・92% agree with introducing “menstrual leave” to schools

・I can't rest even if my period is hard

Currently, more than 80% of students who experience menstruation have wanted to take a break from school for reasons such as abdominal pain or headache, but about 70% are mainly concerned about the negative impact on their grades and grades. I haven't rested. In addition, there are some students who have mild menstrual symptoms and cannot take time off from school because they cannot get the understanding of their classmates and adults who do not experience menstruation. As a result, there are quite a few students who suffer mentally and physically, such as their physical condition deteriorating.

・Insufficient understanding of physiology

Many voices were delivered in the questionnaire that the understanding of menstruation was insufficient. In health classes, men and women were taught about menstruation separately, and many said that what they were taught was superficial and did not touch on menstrual pain, types of sanitary products, use of the pill, PMS, etc. Some teachers said that they could not rely on it because there were few teachers who had a sufficient understanding of menstruation.

・Lack of specific and unified guidelines

There are currently no uniform guidelines for menstruation in schools. In particular, there are many dissatisfied voices because the rules of menstruation in physical education classes are different depending on the teacher. There are schools that require you to participate in the pool even if you are on your period, and schools that deduct points if you miss the pool due to your period.

1. Introduction of menstrual leave at school (health leave)

There are a certain number of people who want to miss school due to menstrual cramps, but are unable to do so because of concerns about adverse effects on their grades. By introducing menstrual leave, if it is possible to make absences due to menstruation official absences, it will lead to preventing deterioration of physical condition. On the other hand, from the viewpoint of privacy and concerns that it may be criticized as "unfair" and "unfair", it is necessary to devise ways to introduce it, such as changing the name to "health vacation" and "f holiday". For example, include "mental or physical disorders" as a "legitimate reason" for missing school, set about 10 vacation days a year, and submit a gynecological certificate to the school if you want to take more time off. , the introduction of "life support leave" that some companies have introduced, which allows you to take a break in units of one hour.

In Taiwan, menstrual leave has been introduced in elementary schools, junior high schools, high schools, and universities as well as companies, and it is possible to take menstrual leave once a month. US states are also introducing “mental health leave,” with legislation passing to allow students to miss school for reasons related to their mental or physical health. In Japan as well, we urge schools to consider introducing menstrual leave. In addition, since the usage rate of the "menstrual leave system" of companies is low, when creating the system, I would like to request that the system be made easier to use, taking into account the voices of the children and students who are the parties concerned.

2. Creation and review of menstruation guidelines at school

How do menstruating students participate in physical education classes? I would like you to create and review school guidelines, such as whether it is possible to rest in the infirmary, and improve the content so that it can remove the burden on students during menstruation and provide support.

In addition, since each school is currently taking different measures, we request that the board of education create a common guideline after conducting a fact-finding survey.

3. Provide complete physiological education (comprehensive sex education) to all students and teachers

Those who experience menstruation and those who do not should receive substantial physiological education. I would like you to teach me not only how to use sanitary napkins and how menstruation works, but also practical and detailed content such as menstrual pain, premenstrual syndrome, when to visit a gynecologist, and the stigma surrounding menstruation. Require that all students receive comprehensive physiological education.

In addition, since there are few teachers who have a sufficient understanding of menstruation, we request that education be provided through the development of supplementary teaching materials and training by outside instructors.

At that time, I would like to ask for a fact-finding survey to question the actual situation of physiological education and the literacy of teachers.

Questionnaire results on "menstrual leave" at school (Japan Youth Council / #Everyone's physiology)

https://youthconference.jp/wp/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/b579180648f7f7ec2ccc80bc44588174.pdf

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