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Menopause in the workplace
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Menopause in the workplace
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 and lobby for support for workers via industrial trades unions (including ACAS, TUC, UCU, UNISON, EIS, NASUTW) and changes in legislation. In the UK under the Equality Act 2010, menopause discrimination is covered by three of the protected characteristics: age, sex and disability discrimination. A UK government cross-party equalities working group explored why workplaces were failing women going through the menopause
The average age for the menopause transition is 51. Women over the age of 50 are a growing demographic in the workforce. 14 million working days are lost to menopause each year in the UK. Around 900,000 women have left jobs in the UK because of menopause symptoms making continuing work impossible.
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. 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. Menopause is considered by many to be a private matter or ‘a women's issue' or the 'last taboo' subject in workplaces. 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 and women being disciplined on competency grounds for health issues. The number of UK employment tribunals concerning menopause is increasing.
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. The CIPD have produced a range of guides for HR professionals and managers
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. 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.
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Menopause in the workplace
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 and lobby for support for workers via industrial trades unions (including ACAS, TUC, UCU, UNISON, EIS, NASUTW) and changes in legislation. In the UK under the Equality Act 2010, menopause discrimination is covered by three of the protected characteristics: age, sex and disability discrimination. A UK government cross-party equalities working group explored why workplaces were failing women going through the menopause
The average age for the menopause transition is 51. Women over the age of 50 are a growing demographic in the workforce. 14 million working days are lost to menopause each year in the UK. Around 900,000 women have left jobs in the UK because of menopause symptoms making continuing work impossible.
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. 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. Menopause is considered by many to be a private matter or ‘a women's issue' or the 'last taboo' subject in workplaces. 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 and women being disciplined on competency grounds for health issues. The number of UK employment tribunals concerning menopause is increasing.
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. The CIPD have produced a range of guides for HR professionals and managers
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. 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.