Originally published: Scoop NZ, 21 March 2024
A recent survey of New Zealanders and Australians has found that more than half of Kiwis with a menstrual period have called in sick to work as a result of their symptoms. And of those, a whopping 2/3 in New Zealand, and 3/4 in Australia, have lied to their manager about the reason for their absence.
The research was conducted in February, by Hello Period – the New Zealand-based world leader in sustainable period products – and surveyed 500 people in New Zealand and a further 500 in Australia who have a menstrual cycle. It discovered that a huge number (80%) of respondents feel anxious about having their period at work and 44% said they would feel uncomfortable discussing periods with colleagues. Most respondents said they would be more inclined to apply for a job if the company had a positive period policy in place.
Hello Period engaged Pureprofile to conduct this survey between 16 and 21 February 2024. Survey participants all identified as female between the ages of 20 and 55 years old.
