Spain to introduce paid sick leave for severe menopause-related symptoms

Women living and working in Spain will be eligible for paid menopause sick leave from 1 December 2026 if a doctor confirms a related condition prevents them from working.

The reform will provide specific medical leave for women experiencing incapacitating health problems associated with menopause.

Eligible workers will receive Social Security benefits from the second day of leave, without having to meet the minimum contribution requirements that apply to ordinary sick leave.

However, experiencing menopause alone will not qualify someone for the new benefit.

Elma Saiz, Spain’s minister for inclusion, social security and migration, said the government wanted to address women’s health problems that had previously received little attention in the workplace.

“More than ten and a half million women are affiliated to Social Security and we are responding to situations that were made invisible,” she said.

A doctor must diagnose a condition associated with a secondary menopausal disorder that temporarily prevents the woman from carrying out her job.

Symptoms such as severe hot flushes, sleep disturbances, fatigue and difficulty concentrating can affect daily life and, in some cases, make working difficult.

Women experiencing these problems will need a medical assessment to establish whether their condition meets the eligibility criteria.

If approved, their doctor can issue a sick note, which will be sent electronically to Social Security without the worker having to provide a paper copy to her employer.

Under the new arrangements, the employer will cover the worker’s salary for the first day.

From the second day, Social Security will pay a benefit equivalent to 60 per cent of the regulatory base for the first 20 days, rising to 75 per cent from day 21.

By comparison, standard sick leave benefits for a common illness normally begin on the fourth day.

The reform also removes the usual requirement to have made Social Security contributions for at least 180 days during the previous five years.

Women who meet the medical criteria will therefore qualify regardless of how long they have been paying contributions.

Spain introduced paid sick leave for incapacitating menstruation in 2023. The latest reform extends specific workplace protection to certain menopause-related conditions.

The approach differs from arrangements in several other European countries.

Germany, Italy, Greece, Portugal and Turkey do not currently provide specific workplace leave for menopause.

In Germany and Portugal, women whose symptoms prevent them from working can request ordinary sick leave following a medical assessment.

Greece, Italy and Turkey also have no separate benefit for disabling menopause-related conditions.

Spain’s new provisions will take effect on 1 December 2026, offering a specific form of medical leave for women whose menopause-related health problems prevent them from working.