Workplace menstrual product policies and worker well-being: Insights from Queensland, Australia

Abstract

In 2022, the World Health Organization acknowledged menstrual health as a global human right and encouraged a shift in responsibility from individuals to the community. Globally, menstrual products are rarely included in workplace policies, hindering equitable well-being by placing disproportionate burden on menstruating workers. This exploratory study in Queensland, Australia supplied a public sector workplace with menstrual products for two months in 2023. A questionnaire with qualitative and quantitative aspects assessed the experiences of 21 menstruating workers. Before the supply, 94.7 % had experienced menstruation at work without access to products, leading to mental distress. Additionally, 71.4 % worried about lacking products when needed and 38.1 % believed this worry decreased their mental well-being or concentration. After the supply, 94.1 % reported improved emotions, 70.6 % perceived improved concentration and 64.7 % felt improved mental well-being. However, only 57.1 % believed that menstrual product supply should be mandated by workplace policy. Factors contributing to exclusion of menstrual products from global workplace policies are discussed, such as limited awareness, poor workplace infrastructure and persistent stigma. This study was limited by a small sample size and self-reporting bias. Regardless, the findings highlight the respective positive and negative impacts of including or omitting menstrual products in workplace policy, even in a socioeconomically privileged country like Australia. This emphasises the underestimation of menstrual health as a basic human right in workplace health and safety, urging more research on workplace menstrual product provision and related feminine sanitary infrastructure especially in low-resourced nations.