Menstruation at Work: More Than a Personal Matter

Event Description:
With World Menstruation Day on 28 May, there's no better moment to ask: how does menstruation shape our working lives, and why is it still so hard to talk about at work Menstruation at Work: More Than a Personal Matter is an evening about menstruation, work, and what needs to change. We bring together activists, researchers, and advocates to explore why workplaces are still not designed with menstruating bodies in mind — and what it would take to change that.

3 reasons that make this event unique:
Instead of tips on how to "perform better through your cycle," we ask the structural questions: designed for whose body, at what cost, and for whose benefit?

Hear from a diverse panel of voices — from labour rights to lived experience with endometriosis to menstruation poverty — all in one evening.

This is a space to think, talk, and connect with others who believe bodily autonomy belong in the workplace.

Facilitator/Speaker Bio:
Maria Carmen Punzi is a researcher and consultant working at the intersection of menstrual health, gender equity, and technology. She works with companies, policymakers, and NGOs to bridge the gender health gap.

Alizée Bollen is a socially conscious designer and the founder of Crampy, a project centred around menstrual equity and fostering open conversations about reproductive health. Diagnosed with endometriosis after a long and difficult journey, she now advocates loudly for women of colour to seek menstrual health support and to have their pain taken seriously.

FNV is the Netherlands' largest labour union, representing the interests of workers across sectors. At this event, FNV will share their perspective on menstrual health in the workplace, from policy and labour rights to what meaningful support for employees actually looks like.

Neighborhood Feminists is an organisation dedicated to tackling period poverty and menstrual health awareness through direct action, research, and advocacy. Their Menstruation Stations — self-serve cabinets stocked with free period products — are spread across the city, complemented by research-driven work toward structural change in collaboration with legislators and other non-profits.

"Half the workforce menstruates. It's time our workplaces were designed with that in mind."