Many people still aren’t talking about the Menopause, even though around 50% of the world’s population will experience it at some point in their lives. The impact of this is much bigger than many people, particularly those in positions of power, realise. Not only does it affect people physically and mentally, but a lack of support and awareness around Menopause in the workplace is causing women to leave the workforce. As we as a society try to move towards a more gender equal world, the role of the Menopause cannot be underestimated.

What is the Menopause?

It’s not just cis women that go through the Menopause. Trans women, trans men, non-binary people and even those without a uterus can go through Menopause and experience it’s symptoms. Even if you don’t experience it directly, chances are you will be indirectly affected by it at some point in your life. If your partner, child, sibling, co-worker or friend is going through it, you will be impacted by it too.

Many people think that the key symptom of the Menopause is hot flushes. Whilst this is one of the many symptoms of Menopause, it’s not the only one and not everyone will experience it. Other symptoms include brain fog, joint pain and heart palpitations, all of which have an impact on the wellbeing of the person going through Menopause.

The lack of understanding of what Menopause looks like often causes people going through it to be misdiagnosed, which can cause the symptoms to worsen or stay around for longer than necessary. It also means those around them can be unaware that they are going through the Menopause and thus they don’t get the right support. This can lead to people feeling isolated, frustrated and even ashamed or embarrassed – even though the Menopause is a natural part of many people’s lives.

The Impact on the Workforce

People going through the Menopause often benefit from support in the workplace. Menopause often occurs when people are aged 45-55, so most people experiencing it will still be in the workforce and may even be in senior roles. In a survey of over 900 people aged 45-55 who could experience Menopause, 48% reported having difficulties in managing work during the menopausal transition and over 40% said that menopausal symptoms affected their job performance. Because of the lack of support, people going through Menopause are leaving the workforce which is widening the skills gaps in sectors like tech and engineering, contributing to an overall labour shortage, and causing us to move backwards in our path towards gender equality.

In the UK, the Women and Equalities Committee put forward a proposal to the UK government to introduce Menopause Leave pilots. The policies around this leave would be developed by the government, and then implemented by workplaces in the UK. On the 24th January, it was announced the the government has rejected this proposal. The BBC reported: ‘The government said it was focused on encouraging employers to implement workplace menopause policies, adding: “We are concerned that specific menopause leave may be counterproductive to achieving this goal.”‘

What this essentially means is that for those who will go through Menopause, it’s a luck of the drawer as to what (if any) Menopause related support they’ll get, as unlike Maternity or Paternity leave there will be no statutory amount of leave for Menopause.

What can we do about this?

As people, we can educate ourselves about the Menopause. There are great resources online and in books. Davina McCall often speaks about Menopause on her YouTube Channel! There are lots of apps out there that can help you learn about and get support for the Menopause, including Peppy.

Employers can also have a huge impact in making a change. The first step could be looking at implementing Menopause leave in your workplace, or creating new policies around Menopause support. The WISE Young Professionals’ Board produced a guidance document for senior leaders on this very topic! You can also raise awareness and educate your staff on the Menopause by running webinars with guest speakers, or hosting open forums using employee networks. Employers can also sign up to the Menopause Workplace Pledge, which is a public commitment to supporting those going through the Menopause.

Ultimately, when we support people going through Menopause we are making our workplace more inclusive and moving in the right direction towards gender equality.