Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Real Reality]

Banks Join Hands to Fight Menstrual Leave Lawsuit
The financial industry is in jitters after Citibank women staff filed a suit worth W100 billion (US1$=W947) against their employer seeking compensation for menstrual leave they were not given. Women are legally entitled to menstrual leave but employers often pressure them not to take it.... If the unionized workers win their suit, financial firms stand to pay up to W100 billion in damages to their 24,500 female employees.
Chosun Ilbo (July 5, 2006)
http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200607/200607050018.html

[Apple Scruff]

Menstrual leave? WTF? Does that translate into "I'm leaking baby juice and feel like being a huge beotch, so let me go home please"? Or is it a pregnancy thing? I'm confused. Damn these enormous balls.

[pocketfluff]

[Real Reality]

menstrual: Of or relating to menstruation. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/menstrual
menstruation: the monthly discharge of blood from the uterus of nonpregnant women from puberty to menopause. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/menstruation

Schoolgirls to Have One Day Off a Month
by Chung Ah-young, Korea Times (January 13, 2005)
http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/200501/kt2005011315281753460.htm

Schools to Give Menstrual Leave From March
All Korean schools will introduce menstrual leave in March, allowing female students to take a day off during their period.
Chosun Ilbo (January 12, 2006)
http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200601/200601120031.html

Office pressure cited for forgoing female workers' menstrual leave
According to the Internet job agency Incruit, 70 percent of female employees say they do not use their monthly day off for "menstrual leave." About 1,300 women were polled; only about a quarter said that they used that vacation occasionally. The majority of the women said they felt indirect pressure from bosses and male co-workers not to absent themselves from the office.
JoongAng Daily (June 8, 2006)
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/200406/08/200406080002254809900090509051.html

Menstrual illness cited in shoplifting
The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that cases of theft committed by women who feel compelled to steal during their menstrual periods should be considered special cases caused by mental disorders.
by Park Jai-hyun, JoongAng Ilbo (June 07, 2002)
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/200206/07/200206070045040469900090409041.html

maternity: The state of being a mother; motherhood.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/maternity

Maternity and Childcare Leave
http://www.molab.go.kr:8001/english/policy/equal_employment/pol0501.jsp

[tzechuk]

It's true. My husband used to give me a day a month when I didn't need to go to work - but then again, I didn't go to work much then... LOL.

Most of the time, though, women don't take leave because they are too embarrassed to do so - they don't want people in the office to know that they are on their period, obviously!!!! If they start taking it, they will have to take it at the (almost) same time every month and she might become the object of ridicule at work.

That, and the fact that companies don't usually tell workers their rights.. so not a lot of people know about it.

[periwinkle]

To be honest, I think it should be abolished. IMO, it might deter companies from hiring women. My company has only a small percentage of women (the ones that do work here are mostly outsourced), and I think menstrual leave, combined with maternity leave, really makes men more preferrable to hire over women. Masternity leave is necessary, but to be fair, paternity leave should be offered, too. I think more and more American companies are offereing paternity/family leave these days. Hopefully Korea will catch up. Maybe not. Who knows....

[Captain Corea]

Most of the office girls I know use it whenever they want. The company has no right to monitor or refuse it, so it often becomes part of a 3 day weekend.

[Yu_Bum_suk]

In Korea some bosses will drive employees from the hospital to work for the day and then back again when they are seriously ill. People expect Korean companies to respect magic-time leave? As if.

[Captain Corea]

I think it is often the smaller companies that this occurs. Most of the larger ones I've worked with are quite cool with it. I know the multi-nationals are very wary of stepping on any Korean laws. Maybe it's the Korean owned companies that feel they don't ned to abide by it.

[Wangja]

It's generally called "Ladies' day" and yes, in all the foreign companies I have worked in, the ladies have taken it.

I think they do not recognise the irony of this while on the other hand seeking equal work conditions with men.

(Wangja ducks)

[drumpounder]

I don't swallow this menstrual crap. No pun intended. My (soon to be ex-wife) used to become transformed into a seriously nasty person every month. She used to blame it on hormones. I say bullsh*t. She was a bank manager and treated her underlings at work the exact same as usual. The same with our neighbours and friends. But with me she would let loose. I told her, "if it's hormones as you say, why do you not treat everybody like dog doo?" She had no answer. Now she is 45 and suddenly single, and that is a very long line to be standing in. Me I have met a new cosmic mate.

[formerflautist]

I treat everyone like crap at that time of the month. That's why I try and avoid anyone that actually likes me. My students just have to deal with me. But does this law apply to foreigners or just to Koreans?

[periwinkle]

Well, I work for a Chaebol, and it's not in my contract. I know the guys on my teams (fellow waygooks) would resent me if I had it, too. To be fair to them, I never asked to have in put in my contract, either. I want to be seen as good as the boys~ not as some weak woman. I don't need it anyway (I think only a small amt. of women suffer debilitating cramps, etc.- not me!). However, I WOULD like maternity leave, but looks like I'll be out of a job when my contract ends, unfortunately.

[Wangja]

[jmbran11]

I have never heard of such a thing and I am completely outraged and disgusted! The articles about letting girls out of school are even worse.

How could Korean culture ever consider women equal in the professional sense if they get special rules. This only reinforces the notion that women cannot be trusted to handle significant responsibilities because they may fly off the handle at the slightest hormonal provocation. Can't have a woman president - she's too emotional and moody during that time of the month, might nuke Finland! Outrageous!

The idea that men don't know how hard it can be is ridiculous and irrelevant. If women want to have equal rights and access to opportunity, we can't just use our bodies as some excuse for not doing equal work. Grow up and stop whining.

Men get tired, feel bad, have headaches, etc. sometimes as well, but that's no excuse to sit home and feel sorry for themselves (especially not in Korea). If a woman can't handle the work place, she shouldn't be there. There are plenty of women in the past who really suffered in the workplace to create the opportunites that Western women have today.

Any woman should be ashamed to accept that kind of treatment - this labor law should be repealed immediately. It's just another indication of Korea's view of women as weak entities who need the protection of men. Apparently, the women of Citibank agree (or course, they probably just want the money).

Thanks for shedding light on this absurdity.

P.S. - I'm a female also, and I would NEVER try to pull this *beep* at work.