A Morena party lawmaker in Baja California’s state congress introduced a bill on July 8 to grant female government employees up to two days of paid leave per month for severe menstrual pain. Deputy Norma Angélica Peñaloza Escobedo presented the proposal in Mexicali, targeting workers employed by state agencies and municipal governments across the state.
The bill would amend Article 29 of Baja California’s Civil Service Law (Ley del Servicio Civil de los Trabajadores al Servicio de los Poderes del Estado y Municipios). Under the proposed reform, public sector workers diagnosed with dysmenorrhea, a condition involving intense pelvic and abdominal pain during menstruation, could take up to two days of paid sick leave per cycle.
Women Make Up Majority of BC’s State Workforce
Peñaloza Escobedo cited data from INEGI (the National Institute of Statistics and Geography) to support her case. According to those figures, women make up 59.3% of Baja California’s state administrative workforce, a share above the national average of 56.4%. At the municipal level, however, women hold just 29.8% of positions, below the national average of 35.3%.
In her presentation, the lawmaker argued that the menstrual cycle is a biological process with real consequences for physical and mental health. She said the pain can be severe enough to interfere with daily activities and job performance, and that existing labor protections do not account for this condition.
Bill Heads to Committee Review
The proposal applies only to public sector employees, not private sector workers. It would add a new paragraph to the existing civil service law rather than create a standalone statute. The initiative has been formally introduced and referred to the legislative process for committee analysis and eventual debate.
Baja California is not alone in this conversation. Similar menstrual leave proposals have surfaced in other countries and at the U.S. federal level. In May 2026, Democratic lawmakers in the United States introduced a paid menstrual leave bill at the national level. Countries including Japan, South Korea, and Spain already have some form of menstrual leave on the books.
No vote date has been set for the Baja California bill. The proposal was first reported by La Jornada Baja California and California Medios.