Maisha Rafa Khan is a young professional working at private company. As with any job, long hours are sometimes unavoidable and Khan is no stranger to the concept. I am grateful for some of the initiatives that my workplace has taken for women. There are sanitary pads available at work, which has been helpful at times, says Khan, But sometimes, during a long stressful day, I forget to change my pad. I think paid vacation days for periods would help alleviate this problem.
There are many other women like Khan, who face the challenge of dealing with eight-hour workdays while menstruating. In Bangladesh, around 52 percent of the female population are of reproductive age and are therefore experiencing monthly periods. But the challenges that come with menstruation aren t the only problems women have to face.