The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Menopause, chaired by Carolyn Harris MP, has called for more workplace support for women.
Menopause: Workplace Support
The APPG have just published a report after a year long inquiry in which it has examined the impact of the menopause, and looked at where reform is required in terms of workplace support. With World Menopause Day on the 18th October 2022, the APPG published its final report on the 12th October 2022.
In terms of more workplace support, the report recommends that:-
- The Government launch an "employer-led" campaign to "raise awareness" of issues relating to the menopause (with the emphasis upon "supporting employees through the menopause transition as a core employee health issue"), to deal with the "entrenched taboo" surrounding it, and to invest in support for employees. The report pointed out that currently, "the majority of employers do not consider menopause a proper health condition and do not have policies in place to support staff going through it. There is a role for both Government and employers to play to work together to drive forward this change."
- The Government "update and promote guidance for employers on best practice menopause at work policies and supporting interventions", which incorporates the "economic justification and productivity benefits of doing so."
The Chair of the APPG on Menopause, Carolyn Harris MP, stated upon the release of the report and the call for more workplace support, that: "We are beginning to feel the tide of change but the taboo around the menopause still prevails in all corners of society – [including] in workplaces...The consequences for those suffering with menopause symptoms who can’t get the right treatment can be severe – leading to the break down of personal relationships and jeopardising careers, with women being forced to take additional days off or leave work all together, putting their financial situations at risk."
The need for more workplace support in relation to the menopause was highlighted previously by a 2019 report commissioned by BUPA and the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). It found that 900,000 women had had to leave their jobs as a result of menopausal symptoms, with 59% of women overall having suffered some form of detriment at work as a result of issues related to the menopause
Protected Characteristic
In a previous article, we highlighted that the parliamentary Women and Equalities Committee have also released a new report entitled ‘Menopause and the Workplace’, in which it calls for the menopause to be added to the list of protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010, as well as additional workplace support
As menopause is not currently a protected characteristic, any discrimination arising out of menopause can only be brought as part of a disability, age, and/or sex discrimination claim. The most common of these are claims for disability discrimination.
Nevertheless, to succeed with a claim for disability discrimination, a claimant must show that they have a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. Although menopause is not expressly categorized as a disability, tribunals must still consider whether the individual circumstances could give rise to a disability under the definition set out in the Equality Act 2010. However, as the effects of menopause can be extremely debilitating, and include symptoms such as insomnia, heavy bleeding, cognitive impairment, fatigue, depression, anxiety, hot flushes, and problems with the joints, these symptoms are often found to meet the criteria as to what constitutes a disability.
In terms of sex and age discrimination, cases are often brought for direct discrimination and harassment where women are subjected to unfavourable treatment on account of the menopause
Nonetheless, given the difficulties in obtaining justice in relation to the discrimination encountered as a result of the menopause, the Committee argues that reform is required. The Committee chair, Caroline Nokes, contends that: “The omission of menopause as a protected characteristic under the Equality Act is no longer tenable, given that 51% of the population will experience menopause. We were shocked to hear that many women have to demonstrate their menopausal symptoms amount to a disability, to get redress. Our Committee is calling on the Government to make menopause a protected characteristic in its own right.“
World Menopause Day
As highlighted above, World Menopause Day will take place on the 18th October 2022. Held every year on the 18th October, its objectives include calling for improvements in workplace support.
