 | The examples and perspective in this article deal primarily with the United Kingdom and do not represent a worldwide view of the subject.(October 2023) |
Menopause in the workplace is a social and human resources campaigning issue in which people work to raise awareness of the impact menopause symptoms can have on attendance and performance in the workplace.
Campaigners, journalists, personnel professionals and academics draw upon published research [1] [2] [3] and lobby for support for workers via industrial trades unions (including ACAS, [4] TUC, [5] UCU, [6] UNISON, [7] EIS, [8] NASUTW [9] ) and changes in legislation. [10] In the UK under the Equality Act 2010, menopause discrimination is covered by three of the protected characteristics: age, sex and disability discrimination. [11] A UK government cross-party equalities working group explored why workplaces were failing women going through the menopause [12] [13] [14]
The average age for the menopause transition is 51. [2] Women over the age of 50 are a growing demographic in the workforce. [15] 14 million working days are lost to menopause each year in the UK. [16] Around 900,000 women have left jobs in the UK because of menopause symptoms making continuing work impossible. [12] [17]
A June 2023 study by the Mayo Clinic estimated an annual loss of $1.8 billion in the United States due to workdays missed as a result of menopause symptoms. [18] This was one of the largest studies to date examining the impact of menopause symptoms on work outcomes. The research concluded there was a strong need to improve medical treatment for menopausal women and make the workplace environment more supportive to avoid such productivity losses.
Many women go through the menopause during their working lives, and workplace support is vital. [19] [4] Menopause is considered by many to be a private matter [20] or ‘a women's issue' or the 'last taboo' [21] subject in workplaces. [22] [23] The TUC found that many employers were unaware of the issues involved and not tackling problems in ways that helped workers. The impact of employers failing to make reasonable adjustments include loss of work days due to absence [24] and women being disciplined on competency grounds for health issues. [5] The number of UK employment tribunals concerning menopause is increasing. [25] [26]
A UK government report suggests that employers can make positive changes by "changing organisational cultures; compulsory equality and diversity training; providing specialist advice; tailored absence policies; flexible working patterns for mid-life women; and fairly low cost environmental changes" to cater for women's differing experiences. [2] The CIPD have produced a range of guides for HR professionals and managers [27]
There remains a research gap in evaluating the effectiveness of these interventions.
In the US, National Institute on Aging has conducted research exploring the impact of menopause on women's health and aging. [28] Particular care has been taken to include in the research participants women from different racial and ethnic backgrounds, including African American, Chinese, Hispanic and Japanese. This has helped scientists identify racial and ethnic differences in women's experiences. [28]
The social acceptability of discussions of menopause vary across cultures. Menopause is an intersectional issue of sex and age.
For many women it is experienced as a 'double or triple whammy' of home and workplace responsibilities coming as it does just at the time when their children are teenagers, their parents are elderly and they have just made it back from a career break. It may also come at the time of increased leadership and management responsibilities. [29] When women eligible for senior management roles leave work at the peak of their careers, there are compounding effects on the gender pay-gap and the gender pension gap. Three out of five (59%) working women between the ages of 45 and 55 who are experiencing menopause symptoms say it has a negative impact on them at work [30]
Menopause support may also be linked to mental health at work. A 2018 Radio 4 Woman's Hour poll that found that 48% of women experiencing the menopause reported that it had "a negative impact on their mental health and mood". [31] Employers may not be aware that there are different cultural attitudes to menopause. [32] In the workplace menopause becomes an intersectional issue of supporting workers with regard to age, sex, disability and race. [33]
As of yet, menopause is not a protected characteristic [3] specified under the Equality Act 2010. The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 provides for safe working, which extends to the working conditions when experiencing symptoms of menopause. Recently, there have been calls made for further legislation [7] to require employers to put in place a workplace menopause policy to protect women going through the menopause against discrimination whilst at work. [34]
Some aspects of workplace environments can make menopause symptoms worse, especially hot or poorly ventilated environments. [35] [36]
Menopause also impacts remote workers. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many women who had previously worked in their employer's premises shifted to remote work. [37] [38] While there are some elements of remote work which might be assumed to be better for menopausal women such as more control over the temperature and comfort of their home environments, there are multiple factors such as the responsibilities of home schooling and sharing limited space in the home which combined to shape working women's experiences of lockdown.
Caroline Nokes, Chair of the Women and Equalities Committee, said in 2021: "Three in every five women are negatively affected at work as a result of the menopause. The repercussions of that are not merely individual. Excluding menopausal women from the workplace is detrimental to our economy, our society and our place on the world stage. Despite the fact that hundreds of thousands of women in the UK are currently going through the menopause- a process that can be both physically and mentally draining- it is ignored in legislation. It is time to uncover and address this huge issue, which has been left near-invisible for far too long." [14]
In 2022 members of the UK government considered amending the 2010 Equality Act to include menopause as a protected characteristic. They also hoped to require employers to provide reasonable adjustments for employees experiencing menopause. [39] [15] [40] As it stands, UK law fails to provide proper redress for women who are discriminated against in the workplace as a result of their menopausal status. There is also generally poor understanding of health and safety at work in this regard. The authors of the report propose significant change to improve the working conditions for women and those who ultimately seek legal redress: [15]
Our recommendations for employers are designed to ensure fewer women need legal redress. However, those who do need to rely on the law need, and deserve, a better safety net. We call on the Government to commence section 14 of the Equality Act 2010 to allow dual discrimination claims based on more than one protected characteristic. We also want the Government to urgently consult on making menopause a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010.
The 2022 report from the UK Women and Equalities Committee stimulated discussions about the possibility of employers establishing policies and support for 'menopause leave'. [41] [42] [43]
There are a number of high-profile media professionals and journalists in the UK who have worked to raise awareness of menopause through sharing their own experiences publicly. These include Patsy Kensit, Davina McCall, Jenni Murray, [44] Kirsty Wark, [45] Jennifer Saunders, [46] Bridget Christie [47] and Jenny Eclair. [48]
Some higher education institutions [49] have made changes to support their staff. These include University of Leicester [50] and University College London. [51]
Academics who research in this area include: Jo Brewis, [52] [53] Belinda Staffan, [54] [55] Wendy Loretto [56] and Myra Hunter.
Guidance for supporting teachers during menopause has been published by EIS, [8] NASUWT [9] and NEU [57]
The Police in England and Wales have published National Menopause Guidance which is designed to help support and advise individuals, line managers, senior leaders and occupational health advisors [58] The national lead for Gender at the National Police Chiefs' Council, said: "I genuinely believe that the launch of this guidance is a huge step forward for policing." The demographic of the police workforce across the UK is changing, with an increasing number of female colleagues, and an aging workforce in key front-line roles as well as other roles in our organisations. There are clear health and safety implications for women, their colleagues, and the general public, if we do not support, understand and deal with menopause issues properly. [58] Support is also available for members of Police Federation Scotland [59] and Police Federation of Northern Ireland. [60]
The NHS recognise that "with our population now living longer, working longer, and with so many women working in the NHS, it's vital that staff are supported to stay well and thrive in the workplace". [61] [62] The BMA argue that employers should take a pro-active approach to an inclusive workplace. [63]
British MPs have pushed for clear workplace policies to protect women going through the menopause. Rachel Maclean said "My central message is: menopause is the last taboo because it is still hidden and it only affects women and it only affects older women. It's ageism, it's sexism, all rolled into one." [64] Other women who have spoken about their experiences include Carolyn Harris, [65] Julie Marson, [66] Maria Caulfield, [66] and Caroline Nokes. [67] Dawn Butler, in her role as Shadow Women and Equalities Secretary, announced the Labour Party's commitment to introduce a menopause workplace policy including providing and ensuring flexible working policies and absence procedures that cater for women experiencing the menopause. [68] This menopause workplace policy was included in the Labour Party's 2019 Manifesto. [69]
The Law Society issued guidance for women experiencing menopause in the legal profession [70] [71] and guidance for judges receiving evidence from women. [72]
Menopause, also known as the climacteric, is the time when menstrual periods permanently stop, marking the end of reproduction. It typically occurs between the ages of 45 and 55, although the exact timing can vary. Menopause is usually a natural change. It can occur earlier in those who smoke tobacco. Other causes include surgery that removes both ovaries or some types of chemotherapy. At the physiological level, menopause happens because of a decrease in the ovaries' production of the hormones estrogen and progesterone. While typically not needed, a diagnosis of menopause can be confirmed by measuring hormone levels in the blood or urine. Menopause is the opposite of menarche, the time when a girl's periods start.
Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a disruptive set of emotional and physical symptoms that regularly occur in the one to two weeks before the start of each menstrual period. Symptoms resolve around the time menstrual bleeding begins. Different women experience different symptoms. Premenstrual syndrome commonly produces one or more physical, emotional, or behavioral symptoms, that resolve with menses. The range of symptoms is wide, and most commonly are breast tenderness, bloating, headache, mood swings, depression, anxiety, anger, and irritability. To be diagnosed as PMS, rather than a normal discomfort of the menstrual cycle, these symptoms must interfere with daily living, during two menstrual cycles of prospective recording. These symptoms are nonspecific and are seen in women without PMS. Often PMS-related symptoms are present for about six days. An individual's pattern of symptoms may change over time. PMS does not produce symptoms during pregnancy or following menopause.
Sexual harassment is a type of harassment involving the use of explicit or implicit sexual overtones, including the unwelcome and inappropriate promises of rewards in exchange for sexual favors. Sexual harassment can be physical and/or a demand or request for sexual favors, making sexually coloured remarks, showing pornography, and any other unwelcome physical, verbal, or non-verbal conduct of a sexual nature, verbal. Sexual harassment includes a range of actions from verbal transgressions to sexual abuse or assault. Harassment can occur in many different social settings such as the workplace, the home, school, or religious institutions. Harassers or victims can be of any gender.
Stonewall Equality Limited, trading as Stonewall, is a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights charity in the United Kingdom. It is the largest LGBT rights organisation in Europe.
Absenteeism is a habitual pattern of absence from a duty or obligation without good reason. Generally, absenteeism refers to unplanned absences. Absenteeism has been viewed as an indicator of poor individual performance, as well as a breach of an implicit contract between employee and employer. It is seen as a management problem, and framed in economic or quasi-economic terms. More recent scholarship seeks to understand absenteeism as an indicator of psychological, medical, or social adjustment to work.
A zero-hour contract is a type of employment contract in United Kingdom labour law, between an employer and an employee whereby the employer is not obliged to provide any minimum number of working hours to the employee.
Changing Faces is a UK-based charity that advocates for individuals with a visible difference to the face, hands, or body, offering support and representation. The organization provides guidance for those with an unusual appearance caused by congenital conditions, accidents, injuries, illnesses, or medical treatments.
A workplace is a location where someone works, for their employer or themselves, a place of employment. Such a place can range from a home office to a large office building or factory. For industrialized societies, the workplace is one of the most important social spaces other than the home, constituting "a central concept for several entities: the worker and [their] family, the employing organization, the customers of the organization, and the society as a whole". The development of new communication technologies has led to the development of the virtual workplace and remote work.
The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) is an association for human resource management professionals. Its headquarters are in Wimbledon, London, England. The organisation was founded in 1913 - it is the world's oldest association in its field and has over 160,000 members internationally working across private, public and voluntary sectors. Peter Cheese was announced in June 2012 as CIPD's new CEO from July 2012.
Wellbeing of Women is the only UK charity dedicated to funding research, education and advocacy across all of women's reproductive and gynaecological health, including menstruation, fertility, pregnancy, childbirth, gynaecological cancers, menopause and incontinence. It raises money to invest in medical research and the development of specialist doctors and nurses working in these fields. The charity also disseminates information and hosts regular webinars on women's health.
A “toxic workplace” is a colloquial metaphor used to describe a place of work, usually an office environment, that is marked by significant personal conflicts between those who work there. A toxic work environment has a negative impact on an organization's productivity and viability. This type of environment can be detrimental to both the effectiveness of the workplace and the well-being of its employees.
Menstrual leave is a type of leave where a person may have the option to take paid or unpaid leave from their employment if they are menstruating and are unable to go to work because of this. Throughout its history, menstrual leave has been associated with controversy and discrimination against men, with very few countries enacting policies; it is associated with low uptake in those countries that have enacted policies. It is seen by some as a criticism of women's work efficiency or as sexism against men. Supporters of menstrual leave policies compare its function to that of maternity leave and view it as a promoter of gender equality.
Occupational safety and health (OSH) or occupational health and safety (OHS), also known simply as occupational health or occupational safety, is a multidisciplinary field concerned with the safety, health, and welfare of people at work. These terms also refer to the goals of this field, so their use in the sense of this article was originally an abbreviation of occupational safety and health program/department etc. OSH is related to the fields of occupational medicine and occupational hygiene.
The gender pay gap or gender wage gap is the average difference between the remuneration for men and women who are working. Women are generally found to be paid less than men. There are two distinct numbers regarding the pay gap: non-adjusted versus adjusted pay gap. The latter typically takes into account differences in hours worked, occupations chosen, education and job experience. In the United States, for example, the non-adjusted average woman's annual salary is 79–83% of the average man's salary, compared to 95–99% for the adjusted average salary.
The Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) is an Australian Government statutory agency responsible for promoting and improving gender equality in Australian workplaces. The agency was created by the Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012 and provides employers with advice, practical tools, and education to help them improve gender equality. The Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012 was enacted by an amendment to the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Act 1999, that changed its name to the Workplace Gender Equality Act and correspondingly changed the name of the Equality Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency to the Workplace Gender Equality Agency. The Workplace Gender Equality Agency is part of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.
Maryon Stewart is a British author and broadcaster known for her work in the field of non-drug medicine. Specialising in educating and coaching women in how to control menopause symptoms without hormone replacement therapy (HRT), she is sometimes referred to as a pioneer of the "Natural Menopause Movement".
Leaveism (leavism) is a term first coined in 2013 by Dr Ian Hesketh, a researcher at University of Manchester, to describe the phenomena of employees using flexitime, annual leave, rest days and other leave entitlement schemes to have time off when they are in fact too unwell to go to work. He later extended this to include occasions whereby employees took work home and/or on holiday that they could not complete in paid working hours. Hesketh's research, which centred on well-being in the UK police service, sought to identify a gap in current thinking around absenteeism and presenteeism; of which there is a plethora of academic study and commentary. The aim of his studies was to highlight that the true extent of sickness absence may be masked by the practice of leaveism, and that there may be a hidden populace experiencing significant work overload.
Disability in the United Kingdom covers a wide range of conditions and experiences, deeply impacting the lives of millions of people. Defined by the Equality Act 2010 as a physical or mental impairment with a substantial and long-term adverse effect on a person's ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities, it encompasses various aspects of life, including demographics, legislation, healthcare, employment, and culture. Despite numerous advancements in policy and social attitudes, individuals with disabilities often encounter unique challenges and disparities.
Heather Currie MBE is an associate specialist gynaecologist. Her work relates specifically to menopause and she is the founder of Menopause Matters, a web resource providing to the public up-to-date, accurate information about the health at the menopause, menopause at work menopausal symptoms and treatment options.
Menopause in incarceration is a social and policy campaigning issue in which people work to raise awareness of the gender specific impact menopause symptoms can have on people in prison. Although women are a minority of those incarcerated, the age of women in the prison system is increasing across the world. As this happens it becomes necessary for inmates to be assessed for menopausal symptoms and offered the gender and age-specific services and support they need. Researchers have identified this as a gap in prison healthcare which leaves the needs of many people unmet.
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