26-05-2025
Chinese university requires ‘every woman on her period to take off pants' to qualify for sick leave: Report
In a deeply disturbing incident, a private university in Beijing has sparked widespread outrage after a female student claimed she was asked to pull down her pants at the campus clinic to prove she was menstruating in order to get sick leave, according to a report by the South China Morning Post.
The incident occurred at the Gengdan Institute of Beijing University of Technology, an independent undergraduate college affiliated with one of China's top public universities. On May 15, the unnamed student posted a video online describing the ordeal, which has since gone viral across Chinese social media platforms.
In the footage, the student can be heard confronting a female staff member at the campus clinic, questioning the necessity of such an invasive demand.
'So what you are saying is, every woman on her period has to take off her pants and show you to get a leave note?' the student asks.
'Basically, yes. It is not my personal rule, it is a regulation,' the staff member responds.
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When the student requests a written copy of the regulation, the staff member falls silent but continues to insist that she cannot issue a leave note. Instead, she directs the student to seek documentation from a hospital.
The following day, the university released an official statement defending the staff member's actions, stating that she had acted in line with established procedures.
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'According to our investigation, the clinic staff followed proper protocols. They inquired about the student's physical condition and, after obtaining her consent, proceeded with further diagnosis. No instruments or physical examinations were used,' the statement read.
A university employee identified only by the surname Xu explained to CNR News that the policy had been in place for some time and was introduced to 'prevent the abuse of sick leave.' Xu claimed that some students had requested menstrual-related leave multiple times within a single month.
'To my knowledge, the rule was introduced because some students repeatedly claimed to be on their period to request sick leave. One girl even asked for leave four or five times in a single month. So the school had its reasons for enforcing this policy,' said Xu.
The student later posted a follow-up video stating she had obtained the necessary documentation from a hospital. She also challenged the university's justification for the policy.
'I am simply asking for a reasonable and respectful policy on how women can request leave during their period,' she said.
'If the school truly has a written rule requiring female students to show menstrual blood to a female doctor in order to qualify for sick leave, I will delete my video. But if no such rule exists, I will not back down.'
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