Menopause is holding working women back

A new report shows how working women are hampered by menopause and what employers should be doing to help.

Twenty-seven per cent of working women who have experienced menopause say it has had a negative impact on their career progression, while over 10 per cent feel discriminated against because of their menopausal symptoms.

“I was overlooked for a position I feel two years ago I would have easily walked into,” said a contributor to CIPD’s Menopause in the Workplace: Employee Experiences in 2023 report.

“Now, with the brain fog and mood changes, it went to a much younger colleague.”

How does menopause affect work performance?

Though menopause affects people differently, nearly three-quarters of women experiencing menopause transition will present symptoms.

Symptoms can be psychological or physical and can negatively affect work in the following main ways:

1. Reduced ability to concentrate (79 per cent)
2. Increased levels of stress (68 per cent)
3. Less patience (49 per cent)
4. Reduced ability to carry out physical work tasks (46 per cent)
5. Feeling more pressure (45 per cent)

“Due to forgetfulness and not being as sharp with my recall as usual, I am often considered less able to present to important stakeholders, which is a huge shift for me as I was considered one of the most valued team members,” a respondent told CIPD.

Not only can menopause make work harder, but it can also sometimes make it impossible.

Fifty-three per cent of respondents could think of a time when they were forced to miss work as a result of menopause symptoms.

Intersecting factors

Symptoms can negatively affect anyone experiencing menopause transition, but the impacts are most frequently and acutely felt by those with long-term health conditions or disabilities and those from minority ethnic backgrounds.

Thirty-six per cent of women with a disability or long-term health condition report negative career impacts from menopause symptoms as compared with 24 per cent of women without them.

Similarly, 38 per cent of women who identify as an ethnic minority report a negative impact, compared with 25 per cent of white women.

People without a long-term health condition are under half as likely to report having been disciplined at work for issues arising as a result of menopause symptoms.

Should workplaces be talking about menopause?

A complicating factor in dealing with menopause in the workplace is the unease some feel in addressing it.

This is only made harder by the fact that it can present in so many ways. Experiences are divergent and commonly involve over 30 different symptoms.

“It feels really difficult to explain to my 30-year-old manager why I feel the way I do,” a respondent told CIPD.

Studies have found that openness and empathy around menopause in the workplace can support women experiencing menopause transition.

Openness can empower women experiencing menopause and can normalise the symptoms and their impact on work.

However, some are uncomfortable with the characterisation of menopause as a problem.

“Instead of feeling supported, some women reported increased anxiety over the array of symptoms,” said Dr Belinda Steffan, a research fellow at the University of Edinburgh Business School.

Further, some were concerned “about menopause being associated with bodily ageing or women being perceived as ‘being older’ at work”.

Does workplace support make a difference?

According to CIPD, the degree of workplace support offered can considerably reduce the negative impacts of menopause on career progression.

In unsupportive work environments, 44 per cent of surveyed women reported negative menopause-related career impacts as compared with 23 per cent of women in supportive workplaces.

Despite the evident benefits, only 24 per cent of respondents said their organisations had a menopause policy or other available support.

That said, data shows that having the right work adjustments in place is not always enough.

“[Women] need to feel safe enough to accept those changes,” said Dr Steffan.

“Some of the women we interviewed voiced concerns that ‘pulling the menopause card’ might set the gender equality movement back in time,” while others feared workplace stigmatisation.

What can employers do?

The CIPD recommended that organisations should:

1. Open up the culture and encourage conversations about menopause.
2. Develop a supportive framework.
3. Create a strong and supportive culture around flexible working.
4. Manage health and sickness absence.
5. Educate and train line managers.