Businesses are being urged to do more to support women going through the menopause.
Rachel McClean, Conservative MP for Redditch, has started a campaign to bring the issue of the menopause higher up the government’s agenda.
The menopause is a natural part of ageing that usually occurs between the ages of 45 and 55 when women’s oestrogen levels decline. Symptoms of the menopause include hot flushes, migraines, poor concentration and low mood or anxiety. These symptoms can continue for years both before and after a woman’s period stops.
McClean began her campaign after experiencing symptoms herself and realising the extent to which women can be affected.
Writing on her webpage, McClean said: “Successful women, at the peak of their careers, having to leave their jobs because they suffered from treatable side effects of menopause. Severe depression and anxiety at one end of the scale to the more well-known hot flushes, memory loss and tiredness that impairs normal functioning.
“[These are] symptoms that affected their whole lives including relationships with partners and families. And a complete lack of empathy across workplaces and in society of this issue. How can this be happening in 2018?! I was appalled and staggered.”
Writing for Lexology, Kaajal Nathwani, Associate at law firm RadcliffesLeBrasseur, highlighted that the symptoms of the menopause might be protected under the Equality Act as a disability.
“We recommend that employers provide special training to raise awareness of the issue and get the message across to staff. Creating a defined policy can reassure employees, keeping them happy and productive,” commented Nathwani.
“We encourage managers to recognise and accommodate the changing needs of staff, and consider suitable alternatives such as flexible working practices or referral to support services.”
McClean is currently campaigning on three areas in government:
Health – to improve understanding and push for best practice when treating women going through the menopause. Education – to talk about menopause at school so that men and women understand the later stages of the reproductive lifecycle. Business – encouraging employers to introduce specific policies to support women through the menopause.“We now live in a society where we need and often want to work well beyond our fifties and sixties,” said McClean. “And businesses need talent right across the generations to make up the diverse workforce required to face the future. Women of menopausal age are perfectly positioned to contribute positively in all walks of life and all aspects of the public sphere. But they are sometimes being held back by adverse menopausal symptoms, and through lack of education, understanding and basic treatment that could help.”
