You may have missed International Women's Day last week, but the day is celebrated annually on March 8th to honour the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women while advocating for gender parity. It is a global day of action aimed at accelerating gender equality.
In the United Kingdom, the Secretary of State for Education and Minister for Women and Equalities, Bridget Phillipson said “This International Women’s Day, we are celebrating all that women bring to our proud nation, as well as committing to giving back to them. That’s why I am delighted to formally launch employer action plans, which are part of our commitment to ensure women can thrive at work and tackle the gender pay gap.”
Under the UK Government’s new Employment Rights Act large organisations with 250 or more employees will be required to introduce menopause action plans by 2027. Smaller firms will not be bound by law but will be encouraged to adopt similar measures. The action plans, which will be available to the public, are designed to help organisations make “meaningful and long-lasting change”. The action plans must take at least one action to address their gender pay gap and at least one action that supports employees experiencing menopause.
Why does it matter? Many women’s issues have received the spotlight over the last few years. Pay inequity, discrimination, sexual harassment at work and period poverty have all received attention. While awareness of the effect that menopause may have for women at work has been raised, nothing has been done to support women or workplaces deal with the issue in New Zealand.
The UK charity Wellbeing of Women – which focuses on women’s reproductive and gynaecological health – says research indicates that women find dealing with perimenopause and menopause symptoms most difficult in the workplace. Women often choose not to disclose their struggles to colleagues or bosses due to embarrassment, stigma and fear they may be discriminated against, and it is thought that around a quarter of menopausal women consider leaving their jobs due to symptoms. The charity describes awareness about menopause in workplaces as “shockingly low”.
This lack of understanding is so acute that the Royal College of Psychiatrists in the UK has recently launched its first targeted “position statement” to raise awareness about menopause and mental health. Dr Lade Smith, the president of the College, says “Menopause can have a significant yet often overlooked impact on women’s mental health and wellbeing. Women account for 51% of the population and all will experience menopause at some point. This is a societal issue for everyone. Simply put, we must do better.”
The report details the mental health impact during perimenopause, and the numbers are striking. Anxiety and low mood are relatively common side-effects of hormonal changes during menopause, but for some women menopause significantly increases the chance of developing serious mental illness. Perimenopausal women are more than twice as likely to develop bipolar disorder and 30% more likely to develop clinical depression, while hormonal and physical changes associated with menopause may lead to the relapse or trigger the development of eating disorders. Suicide rates are also higher among women of menopausal age.
It should come as no surprise that symptoms caused by menopause can affect people in the workplace. Improving support mechanisms can be beneficial not only for women but for organisations too. The charity Wellbeing of Women asserts that when menopausal women are supported at work, it can help increase staff retention, reduce recruitment costs, improve productivity and wellbeing, and lead to a more diverse workforce.
While the UK government has taken a small step to support women coping with the symptoms of menopause at work by requiring large employees to develop action, surely there is more that can be done?
Where symptoms are particularly severe, should greater leave entitlements be given to women to manage this? Businesses already shoulder the financial burden for sick leave and for employees dealing with domestic violence. But this could impose a significant burden on businesses given the potential duration of the symptoms of menopause.
Should the government pay for the leave then. The idea is not far-fetched in principle. The government already pays employees parental leave for up to 26 weeks. Employees are entitled to take this leave and there are protections to help ensure people taking parental leave do not lose their employment. ACC also supplements the income of a person who has been incapacitated. New Zealand pays a pension to retirees.
As a society, we have seen that there is merit in protecting the incomes of people in these circumstances. Why are we prepared to pay taxes to support people in the above circumstances but not for women suffering from symptoms of menopause?
The issues are not insurmountable. ACC and paid parental leave would have involved similar considerations. We take this support for granted, but they were once radical concepts. New Zealand once lead the world in supporting the rights of women. Maybe New Zealand can be aspirational again. Read more....