Menopause in the Workplace

Happy smiling matured woman. Image has a banner with the word menopause on it.

The menopause is a natural stage of life experienced by most women between the ages of 45-55, yet it remains a taboo subject in many organisations. The average duration of menopausal symptoms is five years: not insignificant for a working woman.

Women often suffer in silence as they do not feel able to talk to their manager about how their menopausal symptoms are affecting them at work. Therefore more openness about the menopause and workplace support is needed.

An extraordinary 20 per cent of people leave their job because of the menopause, reports the CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development). It found that three in five going through the menopause at work feel they can’t discuss it.

Very little is known in the workplace about how the menopause affects people with a disability, which accounts for 1.5 million workers in the UK. Even less is understood about working people who identify as non-binary and transgender who are going through menopause.

Experiencing Menopause in the Legal Profession

In partnership with Peppy Health, an organisation offering personalised menopause support, the Law Society have launched a comprehensive menopause support resource to help individuals and organisations understand the topic and the impact it can have.

Research & Analysis

Books

  • Menopause: The One-Stop Guide, Kathy Abernethy, 2019
  • Menopause: The Change for the Better, Henpicked and Deborah Garlick 2018
  • Managing Hot Flushes, A Cognitive Behavioural Self Help Guide to the Menopause, Myra Hunter 2013
  • Men…Let’s Talk Menopause, Ruth Devlin 2019

Links & Resources