The town of Saint-Ouen on the northern edge of Paris has become the first French municipality to grant paid medical leave to female staff suffering from period pain, hoping to “break a taboo” on the subject and inspire similar moves at the national level.
The scheme, which came into force on March 27, allows the city’s 1,200 women employees to take up to two days off each month, subject to a doctor’s approval, without loss of salary.
