This Bloody Conversation Needs To Happen. Period. | Kristel de Groot | TEDxAmsterdamWomen
The speaker argues that menstruation is a deep taboo in professional settings, proposing "Moondays"—a monthly, flexible leave for female employees—as a structural change to build trust and allow women to perform at their best. She backs this up by citing a Dutch study showing 85% of women experience painful cramping and describing the struggle to keep these issues private in the workplace. ## Speakers & Context - Unnamed speaker: A female founder who owns a health company that helps women improve health using plants. - Setting: A quarterly board meeting where the speaker is experiencing severe menstrual cramps. - Context: Speaking at a TEDx event, addressing the taboo surrounding periods in professional environments. ## Theses & Positions - Periods should not be a taboo topic, either in general life or in the workplace. - The workplace needs to shift from demanding women "power through" pain to building a foundation of trust. - A working relationship must be built on trust, allowing employees to honestly communicate their physical needs. - Moondays are presented as a framework for making the workplace inclusive, supporting both women and men in having these conversations. - To empower women, the organization must first empower their period. ## Concepts & Definitions - **Moonday:** A conceptual framework allowing female-identifying employees one day per month to take time off (full or half day) when struggling with their period or menopause. - **Period Pain:** A significant, documented experience associated with menstruation, involving painful cramping, brain fog, emotional swings, sadness, anger, depression, anxiety, and complete exhaustion. - **The Taboo:** The deeply ingrained societal reluctance to openly discuss menstruation. ## Mechanisms & Processes - **Moonday Implementation:** Establishing a policy where employees can take a designated day to pause, recover, or manage symptoms, which can range from taking a full day off to cancelling all meetings. - **Institutionalizing Support:** The process involves leadership buy-in, facing initial resistance (e.g., "12 extra holidays"), and framing it not as "holidaying" or "being sick," but as necessary time to "show up the next day again." - **Workplace Design critique:** Arguing that the existing workplace was designed by men for men, necessitating an active effort to make it truly inclusive. ## Named Entities - **Dutch study:** Cited as evidence of the prevalence of period pain. - **PCOS:** Mentioned as a personal health issue experienced by the speaker. ## Numbers & Data - Prevalence of painful cramping (Dutch study): **85 percent** of women and girls. - Example timeframe of persistence: **Year 2021** (when the speaker was still citing issues). ## Examples & Cases - **Personal struggle:** The speaker in the board meeting experiencing abdominal cramps while listening to business results, worrying about bleeding in her pants. - **Workplace dismissal:** Being told *“I’m not at home”* when bringing a hot water bottle to work, and being told an early departure due to ovarian cysts was not a valid reason. - **The shift:** The contrast between the required pretense of being fine versus the reality of needing a day to "simply pause." - **The goal of the new normal:** Creating a space where employees feel safe enough to share how they are "truly feeling." ## Tools, Tech & Products - **Moondays:** The proposed policy/tool for corporate structure change. - **Hot water bottle:** An item used in an attempt to manage pain in the workplace. ## References Cited - **Dutch study:** Cited evidence regarding period pain frequency. ## Trade-offs & Alternatives - **Alternative to Moonday:** "Powering through," taking painkillers, and pretending to be fine. - **Trade-off of Moonday:** The initial corporate pushback, questioning its necessity or impact on men. ## Counterarguments & Caveats - Initial corporate reaction to Moondays: *"12 extra holidays. Are you crazy? And what about us men? How do we really know they truly have their period?"* - The counter-argument to the taboo itself is that *“it shouldn't be [a taboo].”* ## Conclusions & Recommendations - Implement Moondays for employers aiming to be part of the "future" workforce. - All listeners, especially men, are urged to become active participants in dismantling the taboo by talking openly about the topic. - Action items: Speak to HR managers, bosses, or implement the policy if one owns a company. ## Implications & Consequences - If the taboo is broken, it allows women to show up as their "powerful self" with greater energy, focus, and creativity. - A successful implementation changes the norm, forcing a structural shift toward inclusivity in the workplace. ## Verbatim Moments - *"It feels like my uterus is being ripped out of me."* - *"Why is it that I can't just tell them that I'm having a painful period at work?"* - *"But this bloody conversation is happening, period."* - *"It is from there."* - *"Moondays are for female identifying employees. They can take one day a month a Moonday when they’re struggling with their period or with menopause."* - *"It simply means. Being able to share with the people around you at work how you're truly feeling so they can be there for you."* - *"I’m talking to you as well."* - *"Go talk to your HR manager. Go talk to your boss. If you own a company, go implement Moondays right now."*