Kerala's TV channel starts menstrual leave for female employees

Mumbai: Looks like Culture Machine’s ‘First Day of Period Leave’ has sparked the beginning of a transformation with Kerala’s popular news organisation Mathrubhumi News now implementing the same for its female employees.

Mathrubhumi News, the television counterpart of Mathrubhumi Group of media companies has over 70 female employees. “There is no use talking about women empowerment. We should understand women and be with them,” said M V Shreyams Kumar, MLA and Joint Managing Director of the Mathrubhumi Printing and Publishing Co Ltd, in a report in Indian Express.

Kumar admitted that this decision was inspired by Culture Machine’s announcement. Mathrubhumi plans to implement this decision in its TV channel wing on an experimental basis. “We may adopt this in other divisions of the group later,” said Kumar.

Talking to Deccan Chronicle, Mumbai based company Culture Machine’s Devleena S Majumder, President – People and Culture, had said, “It was not just a policy for the company, it was a gesture of support towards all women”.

Culture Machine also took this initiative forward by starting an online petition urging the Women and Child Development Ministry and the Ministry of Human Resource Development to realise the FOP leave into legislation.