At the Working Women’s Centre Victoria, we believe all women and non-binary workers deserve access to safe, fair, and supportive workplaces. That’s why we’re backing the campaign for Paid Reproductive Health Leave — a vital reform that could change the way workplaces support workplace equality by recognising the impacts of reproductive health. 

The national campaign, It’s For Every Body, calls for universal access to ten days of paid reproductive health leave each year. This leave would be separate from sick leave, and it would cover things like managing endometriosis, undergoing IVF, recovering from a miscarriage or abortion, or accessing gender-affirming care. 

Reproductive health is a workplace issue 

One in nine women in Australia lives with endometriosis, a chronic, painful condition that can be physically and emotionally debilitating. Many workers use up all their sick leave or go without pay to manage it. Others feel they have to hide what they’re going through for fear of stigma or discrimination. 

Too many people are forced to work through pain, grief, or intensive medical appointments just to keep their jobs. Others are pushed out of the workforce entirely because they can’t access the time off they need. 

Valuing the work of women and gender-diverse people means creating policies and cultures that allow people to show up safely, fully, and as their best selves. That includes recognising reproductive healthcare as a legitimate workplace issue, and making space for people to access care and recovery without penalty. 

When employers recognise reproductive health as a valid reason to take leave, it sends a powerful message: your health matters, and you deserve support. It creates a culture where people feel safe to speak up, take the time they need, and continue contributing to their workplaces without sacrificing their wellbeing. That’s not just good policy — it’s the foundation of a fairer, more inclusive workforce. 

Paid reproductive leave helps level the playing field 

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, women retire earlier than they’d like to and with significantly less superannuation than men. A key part of the story is health. Many women leave work early due to menopause or peri-menopause, while others struggle to stay in the workforce because of chronic conditions like endometriosis. 

As a society, we need to take women’s health more seriously — and that means taking women’s work seriously too. When people have access to paid leave for essential reproductive healthcare, they’re less likely to be pushed out of the workforce or forced to keep working while unwell. 

By introducing a dedicated form of leave for reproductive health, we can help close the gendered gap in workplace participation. Paid reproductive leave would: 

• Reduce stigma and create space for open, respectful conversations at work 

• Keep more women and marginalised people in secure employment 

• Support better health outcomes and reduce long-term absenteeism 

• Signal that workplaces value the wellbeing of all workers  

Importantly, a paid reproductive leave policy would shift the financial burden of reproductive health away from individuals and towards the systems that should share responsibility, including employers, government, and public health infrastructure. 

Free legal help for women and non-binary people 

At the Working Women’s Centre Victoria, we provide free legal support to women and non-binary workers who are experiencing unfair treatment at work. This includes discrimination related to health, caregiving, and gender. We see the real-world impacts of workplaces that fail to accommodate reproductive health needs: people forced out of jobs, left without income, or navigating complex systems just to access basic rights. 

Introducing paid reproductive leave is more than just a policy change. It’s a step towards building fairer, more inclusive workplaces where everyone can thrive. It acknowledges that reproductive health is a workplace issue. And no one should have to choose between their job and their wellbeing. 

We stand with the campaign for paid reproductive leave because justice at work means recognising the full lives and needs of all workers and creating systems that support them.