Menopause is receiving an increasing amount of attention in the press and popular culture, including on social media platforms and in documentary and television series, such as the latest season of hit Danish political drama Borgen.
Nevertheless, menopause remains a taboo topic in most Australian workplaces, with many women fearful of age and gender discrimination related to this life transition.
It is time to change.
In October, the Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees estimated menopause costs women more than $17bn per year in lost earnings and superannuation.
This is the latest in a series of reports and publications highlighting the impact of menopause on women’s employment, retirement decisions and savings.
With an ageing population and the rapid rise in women’s workforce participation, it is both impractical and socially irresponsible to ignore menopause and its implications for our changing workforce.
Sexist and ageist workplace cultures
In Australia, women retire earlier than men, but there are few studies on the role menopause plays in influencing the decision to leave work.
The studies that are available show menopause can be a source of distress and discrimination for workers. One recent study on the experiences of women in the higher education and healthcare sectors in Australia found workplaces are often poorly equipped to offer support for menopause. The study found sexist and ageist workplace cultures made women reluctant to even discuss the issue.
These findings are similar to those in an earlier study that explored the experiences of women in Australian universities. It found that some workplace norms and practices, such as inflexible schedules or poor temperature control, can exacerbate menopausal symptoms but that workers felt unable to talk about these concerns because of negative attitudes toward older women.
There is more research on these issues in the United Kingdom, where menopause has been a major focus of law and policy reform in recent years.
A survey by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development found 59% of women experiencing menopausal symptoms said it had a negative impact on work. Another survey by the British Medical Association of 2,000 health care workers found a significant number of respondents had reduced their hours, left management roles or intended to retire early due to difficulties related to menopause.
These alarming findings show that menopause can be linked to early retirement, with women leaving work at the peak of their careers. This harms age and gender diversity in the workforce and contributes to the gender pay and retirement savings gap.
And women are often unwilling to discuss the issue or seek workplace adjustments due to a fear of discrimination or being viewed as less competent.
But some women are starting to speak out.
Towards a more age- and gender-inclusive workforce
A growing number of employment tribunal cases in the UK are citing menopause as proof of unfair dismissal and sex discrimination. This has prompted calls for menopause to be included as its own protected attribute under anti-discrimination legislation. It is also becoming more common for women to voice their personal experiences of discrimination in the media, to raise awareness and show that this is an issue that requires serious attention from policy makers.
There are workplace policies that can help Australia address these issues and build a more age and gender inclusive workforce.
In the private sector, some employers like the Victorian Women’s Trust and Future Super have implemented menstruation and menopause policies that provide employees with extra paid leave or flexible working arrangements. These policies are designed to normalise these issues and ensure people do not have to use their sick leave for essential bodily functions.
Trade unions are also advocating for change in this area. In Victoria, the Health and Community Services Union has been campaigning for reproductive health and wellbeing leave. This would provide workers with paid leave or flexible working arrangements for a range of health concerns including fertility treatment, gender affirmation, pregnancy loss, menstruation and menopause. In New South Wales and the Northern Territory, the National Tertiary Education Union has also brought claims for menstruation and menopause leave in its bargaining with the University of Sydney and Charles Darwin University.
There has also been some movement at the state government level. As part of the 2022-23 budget the NSW government announced a $40m funding package for menopause health services and an education campaign on menopause for GPs and employers. Treasurer Matt Kean said this was needed because menopause “can have profound effects on not only a woman’s health, but also her financial security, as she is forced to forego income to look after herself”.
The federal government has been slower to pursue policy reform in this area, but there are signs this may change. In the 2022-23 Women’s Budget Statement, the Albanese government acknowledged the impact of menopause on employment and that an estimated 28% of postmenopausal women “will have moderate to severe symptoms that impacts their workforce participation”.
These are positive developments that signal the interest of government and employers in new ways to support women and gender equality in the labour market.
But there are uncertainties that need to be considered.
Some are concerned that menopause policies could further disadvantage women in the workplace by reinforcing negative stereotypes that older women are less capable of paid work than men. For this reason these policies must be implemented with extreme caution.
There are also privacy concerns. Many people consider menopause a private matter and do not wish to discuss this issue at work. If a workplace policy requires disclosure to a manager, this could be harmful for some people, for example transgender, gender diverse or non-binary people experiencing menopause, who may not want to discuss their gender identity with employers.
These are complex and sensitive issues that require careful consideration. However, policies to support women’s reproductive health such as menopause are likely to be an important part of creating a more gender-equal work culture in the future.
Sydney Colussi, Assoc Prof Elizabeth Hill and Prof Marian Baird are co-convenors of the Body@Work Project and research workplace gender equality at the University of Sydney
This article is part of a series on menopause in the Guardian this week on how to live better with it, the impact it has on Australia’s labour market, alongside some personal experiences
