Calls intensify for Australians to receive 12 days of reproductive leave [Video]

Australia’s economy is deprived of $26.6 billion annually due to lost productivity from untreated reproductive health conditions, a report reveals.

The findings have fuelled calls for a national entitlement of 12 days of reproductive leave.

The Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre report highlights the staggering economic toll of absenteeism, presenteeism, and career impacts linked to reproductive health issues and was commissioned by the Health Services Union, Aware Super, and the Queensland Council of Trade Unions.

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“Severe menstrual pain alone costs women nearly nine productive days a year, while those experiencing menopause with severe symptoms face a 25 per cent drop in productivity,” the report states.

Presenteeism, the act of working while unwell or in pain, significantly contributes to Australia’s $26.6 billion annual productivity loss from untreated reproductive health issues, according to the report.

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