Police investigating the disappearance of Nicola Bulley have been accused of perpetuating the stereotype that women are “crazy” and “hormonal” after they revealed she had alcohol issues brought on by menopause.
Lancashire Police sparked outrage on Wednesday when they revealed the personal details of the mother of two’s struggles, with a former police watchdog questioning how the information was “even vaguely relevant”.
Mandu Reid, leader of the Women’s Equality Party, told The Independent it was “inexcusable” the police have “weaponised” the fact Ms Bulley was menopausal to “justify” her disappearance.
Ms Reid added: “I can’t see what the police, or anybody, or perhaps most importantly her, is hoping to do by bringing that narrative into it.
“It is perpetuating the stereotype that women are crazy and hormonal. Most women will experience their hormones being used against them to pathologise them as crazy or unreasonable. There is an undertone of misogyny there.
“I can’t imagine a scenario where a man’s low sperm count or something to do with his reproductive health is brought into the equation.”
Ms Reid warned the release of information about Ms Bulley’s menopausal symptoms was an infringement of her privacy.
She said: “The police are there to protect people - not to protect their own reputation. It feels like they have protected their own reputation at Nicola’s expense.
“A lot of work has been done recently to take stigma out of menopause and this just flies in the face of that and takes several steps backwards. It shows us how much work institutions like the police have to do show they can protect and serve.
“The police have proven time and time again that they are completely out of step with women. They have betrayed women and over. This is a point on the continuum of that betrayal.”
Kate Osborne, a Labour MP who sits on the women and equalities committee, told The Independent that Lancashire Police‘s decision to “tell the world” of Ms Bulley’s issues was “deeply irresponsible”.
Ms Osborne, the MP for Jarrow, added: “It is hard to see how this will help the investigation, instead it verges on victim blaming, adds to the stigma millions of women face during the menopause and is a serious invasion of her privacy.
“During a women and equalities committee session, we heard how often women were dismissed as hormonal, a little bit unstable and blamed for their suffering - the move from Lancashire police feeds into this sexist dismissive attitude that is pervasive in society.”
Elizabeth Carr-Ellis, co-founder of the KnowYourMenopause campaign, said the move was “appalling”.
“They have made her sound like a ‘crazy’ woman - and it is very telling that they said her issues had caused ‘real challenges’ for her husband.
“What about what she was going through? There’s no mention of that. If Nicola has been struggling because of her hormones and self-medicating with alcohol, it is the medical professions who have let her down who should be shamed, not her.
“This lack of awareness shows how much the police have to learn about menopause and the impact it can have on women.”
The fresh comments come after Lancashire Constabulary faced fierce criticism from MPs and campaign groups in the wake of taking the “unusual step” of making information about Ms Bulley’s private life public in a bid “to avoid any further speculation or misinterpretation”.
A Lancashire Constabulary statement said: “Sadly, it is clear from speaking to Paul [Ms Bulley’s partner] and the family that Nicola had in the past suffered with some significant issues with alcohol which were brought on by her ongoing struggles with the menopause and that these struggles had resurfaced over recent months.”
The force stated officers had been called out to the family’s home in January due to a “concern for welfare” report.
Ms Bulley’s family have said the information was released to stop “appalling” speculation around the case and prevent people from selling stories about her.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman has since asked Lancashire Constabulary to explain why those details were made public.
Anyone with information or footage is asked to submit information through the Major Incident Public Portal (MiPP) at Public Portal (mipp.police.uk)
