Rachel Weiss
Founder, Menopause Cafe charity
As we celebrate World Menopause Day 2024, the profile of menopause has never been higher. The UK is at the forefront of this life-changing movement.
While we celebrate women and menopause, we must also continue to tackle the stigma and shame that remain for many, especially at work.
Factors affecting workplace menopause stigma
Because of debilitating symptoms like hot flushes and poor concentration, many go part-time, avoid promotions or leave their jobs. By downgrading or even abandoning their careers, gender pay and pension gaps widen.
So, despite progress in some areas, including new legislation and guidelines, why does this deep-rooted stigma and embarrassment remain around what is an inevitable and usually natural life transition? We, at Menopause Café, think it’s twofold.
Firstly, it could be engrained misogyny around women’s reproductive issues like puberty and menstruation. Secondly, there is gendered ageism. Women fear that speaking out is an admission that they’re getting old, and that’s not generally celebrated. They’re scared it makes them look weak, less able to do the job or to bag that promotion.
As well as encouraging and
facilitating discussion, we
must also embrace diversity.
Facilitating menopause discussions
Employers can host Menopause Cafes. Last year, over 360 were held across the world, in workplaces and public spaces, online and in person, from the UK and USA to Zambia, Bahrain, Switzerland and Australia. They empowered over 3,600 participants to drink tea together and talk menopause.
Other employers and public spaces are promoting the Menopause Awareness Ribbon — a visible sign that people of all ages and genders are open to conversations around menopause. However, as well as encouraging and facilitating discussion, we must also embrace diversity.
Celebrating wisdom, diversity and positivity
By the time women experience menopause, they have amassed a wealth of personal and professional experience and expertise. While a 20-year-old woman might learn something faster, women who have experienced menopause have wisdom. If we really value equality and inclusivity, let’s pair up the age stages, mix older people with apprentices, develop the female workforce and retain and value the diversity that will otherwise be lost.
We should also remember the positives of menopause. While menopause can be vicious, many sail through it or even celebrate it. If we only ever talk about the bad bits, there’s a real danger of worsening the discrimination against older women, so let’s balance the topic through open discussions and everyday conversation. Yes, we’re certainly talking about it more, but, employers, let’s get better at turning that talk into action.
