Investigating the impact of menstrual health on female productivity at work: Evidence from Malaysia

This study investigates the impact of menstrual symptoms (MS) on workplace productivity among 384 women in the IT, healthcare and education sectors. Women provided data on menstrual flow, irregularity, pain, tiredness, concentration trouble and rated their performance on a 1-5 scale. Findings suggest that 52.9% of participants had decreased job performance during menstruation ( 53% lower score) while 87.8% had regular cycles and 60.7% experienced normal flow. Exploratory Factor Analysis indicated a stronger association between MS and reduced productivity than with absenteeism (Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin or KMO = 0.60 for shared variable structure per standard thresholds; Bartlett's χ² = 3516.13, p<.001 implying <0.1% chance of an identity correlation matrix). Moderate strength was noticed between concentration issues and menstrual cycle characteristics (Cramer's V≈ 0.32, p<.001). The study highlights the urgent need for workplace policies that address menstrual health, including flexible arrangements and improved hygiene support, to enhance employee well-being and efficiency.