"I know, we know, every employer knows, that many women suffer terribly. Most take tablets for it and don't take two or three days off monthly, but it happens."—Alasdair Thompson, head of New Zealand's Employers and Manufacturers Association, digging in after receiving criticism for his assertion that female workers are paid an average of 12% less than their male colleagues because "once a month they have a sick problem."
Well, it's like I always say: If only businesses would build out menstruation huts for the ladies, our bosses wouldn't need to worry about our monthly sickness!
I have worked with a lot of women in my life, many of whom don't even have periods for various reasons, and none of them have taken several days off every month. I'm sure, however, that there are women in the world who do, and I imagine that's evidence of one of several health issues specific to cis women which generally don't qualify as disability, for all the usual reasons.
Anyway, one thing I really love about this quote from the head of the Employers and Manufacturers Association is how it effectively sets up "every employer" and "women" as mutually exclusive groups. Nice.
[H/T to Richard.]
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