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Spain passed a law this month that will allow employees to take paid “menstrual leave” from work, becoming the first European country to do so, Euronews reported.

Under the new rules, women will have the right to a three-day menstrual leave of absence a month, which can be extended to five days for those with disabling periods.

A doctor’s note is required for the leave, and the public social security system will cover the cost.

Equality Minister Irene Montero hailed the passing of legislation as “a historic day of progress for feminist rights.” Spain now joins only a handful of countries that allow menstrual leave, including Japan, Taiwan, Indonesia, South Korea, and Zambia.

Even so, the policy received a mixed reaction among politicians, women’s rights groups and trade unions: While officials say the bill aims to help fight stereotypes that surround periods and hinder women’s lives, others fear it might stigmatize women in the workplace – such as preventing them from getting hired because employers fear the new hires will take excessive leave.

Many European women are asked during job interviews whether they intend to become pregnant, an illegal question, but one prompted by mandatory maternity leave periods that can stretch to more than a year in some European countries.

The “menstrual leave” is part of a broader package on sexual and reproductive rights that includes permitting abortions to anyone over the age of 16, as well as providing period products for free in schools and prisons, the Associated Press noted.

Legislators also adopted a second set of reforms that strengthened transgender rights, including allowing any citizen over the age of 16 to change their officially registered gender without medical supervision.

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