TV star Grainne Seoige is pushing a campaign for a menopause policy in Ireland.
The former Dancing With The Stars contestant is set to present a new ‘no-holds barred’ documentary on the menopause for TG4 this autumn.
Meanapás: Meon Nua is aimed at driving awareness around the change of life and a push for a campaign for a national menopause policy.
The Galway beauty told us: “For me what it is about, this is what I want the show to be about, that whether you’re sailing through it or whether your symptoms are debilitating that you have equal access to information and support and support from your friends and your family and your work colleagues as well because for too long this is something that hasn’t been talked about. Like a lot of things to do with women’s health in this country. I think this is one of the last taboos.”
During the Q&A of TG4 autumn schedule launch, the 48-year-old said society had become obsessed with anything that centres around keeping us young”.
“That’s a societal thing. Anything we are obsessed with is youth found. It is about being as young as you can for as long as you can so it is no wonder that women don’t actually want to think about the fact that menopause is creeping up but actually the more prepared you are, the better the transition will be.”
Opening up about experiencing menopause in the workplace, Grainne said she felt women leave the workplace because they feel “less valued.”
“I think it is a time, unfortunately, that a lot of women leave the workplace because they feel less valued. They have been a long time working at their craft, they are now experts at what they do and what they bring to the table should be valued an awful lot more and the media industry is one of those industries that does not value a woman who has a lot of craft and experience. I think we need to change that,” she said.
Comedian Deirdre O’Kane is also featured in the documentary.
Grainne said: “Deirdre is actually featured in a comedy show around her experience with menopause and at the moment it is based on what it is like being at home dealing with it and also dealing with teenagers at home and also it is very, very funny so we are featuring part of her show I the programme but we’re also talking about it as well.
“She’s a front runner. She is breaking the taboo around it and that's really important. Everyone knows the funny idioms about teenagers, and we have such compassion for it and understanding for it, half the population go through this change and there is zero understanding.
“So that is what we’re trying to do. We’re trying to get a national information campaign going.”
Grainne said she is delighted to be working with TG4 because it is a station that “is brave and is not afraid to take bold decisions and not afraid to go down new directions.”
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