Negotiating Social Reproduction: Access to Menstrual Leave for Female Journalists in Indonesia

Abstract

Although menstrual leave has been legally recognized in Indonesia, women journalists continue to face barriers to exercising this right within the media industry. Existing studies primarily examine menstrual leave from legal, health, or policy perspectives, while its relationship with gendered labor and media production remains underexplored. This article addresses this gap by examining menstrual leave through a Feminist Political Economy perspective. Employing a qualitative literature review, the study synthesizes scholarly works on women journalists, menstrual stigma, labor rights, reproductive health, and media labor in Indonesia. The analysis reveals that limited access to menstrual leave is shaped not only by inadequate policy implementation but also by the intersection of patriarchal workplace culture and the productivity-driven logic of media capitalism. Women journalists are expected to conform to the ideal of the always-available worker, rendering menstruation and menstrual pain largely invisible in professional settings. Consequently, many hesitate to exercise their legal rights due to fears of being perceived as less committed, less productive, or burdensome to colleagues. This article argues that menstrual leave should be understood as a feminist labor issue reflecting the tension between productive labor and social reproduction. It contributes to feminist media studies by positioning menstrual leave as a site where gender, labor, and bodily autonomy intersect within contemporary journalism.