Reaching menopause: the end of a woman’s career?
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Menopause, a natural biological process, marks the end of a woman’s reproductive years. But is there a silent acceptance that it makes the end of a woman’s career? In this article, we explore how the menopause and the preceding years in the run-up to the menopause, known as the perimenopause, intersects with a woman’s career trajectory and bring to light the hard-hitting reality of what actually happens.
What is perimenopause and the menopause and who does it affect?
According to the UK’s National Health Service, the menopause is when a biological woman’s “periods stop due to lower hormone levels. It usually affects women between the ages of 45 and 55, but can happen earlier”. Perimenopause is described as women that experience “symptoms of menopause” but their periods have not stopped.
The associated symptoms of the perimenopause and menopause can be debilitating for many women. It can cause significant anxiety, low moods, unpredictable mood swings, migraines, cognitive confusion, impaired memory, hot flushes as well as irregular periods. This list of symptoms isn’t exhaustive.
It will affect around 50% of the workforce at some point in their working lives so it’s not something to be taken lightly by employers.
What is the impact of perimenopause/the menopause at work for women?
For some women the perimenopausal/menopausal symptoms can significantly interfere with day to day life, including their ability to perform their best at work. To put this into context, a study published by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development in 2023 found that 66% of working women between 40 and 60 years of age had experienced menopausal symptoms that negatively impacted their ability to work. Unfortunately, approximately half of the impacted women (46%) felt unable to share this information with their manager and 41% felt worried about the presumption of others that their performance would be affected with a proportion feeling that their manager would not be supportive. The above findings highlights two key takeaways: 1. a large proportion of the impacted women are suffering in silence at work and 2. the perception of menopause isn’t where it should be despite this impacting around half of our workforce today. The impact of the first finding, in particular, is that it is inevitable that the careers of those that suffer in silence will plateau if not worsen. Such symptoms will inherently be challenging to endure alongside their roles and responsibilities at work. Absenteeism, a temporary dip in performance due to some of the symptoms such as changes in mood, insomnia and hot flushes will result in management and above assuming they’re underperforming. They’ll be overlooked for promotions or may be put on a performance plan, eventually being let go. Many workplaces don’t have a perimenopause/menopause policy in place. According to research carried out by the Fawcett Society in 2022, 8 in 10 surveyed who worked during their menopausal years confirmed that their employer did not share information, train staff or put in place a menopause absence policy. As such, it’s a double-edged sword if the women that suffer do mention it to their managers and above. Management may not be well equipped to handle such cases in a fair and consistent way. A sufferer could have been the best performer, consistently achieving strong results for an organization prior to the symptoms. However, during the symptoms, their performance is likely to come under scrutiny as it’s very difficult to maintain the same level of performance while they’re riding the natural biological wave without support from their employer. The same research found that 1 in 10 women surveyed who worked during their menopausal years had left their jobs due to their unbearable symptoms. The symptoms may last for years, and without appropriate adjustments by the employer, this could lead to the end of a woman’s career.What can employers do to support employees experiencing symptoms of perimenopause/the menopause?
Employers providing workplace support to their employees that experience the symptoms of perimenopause/the menopause can really tackle, head on, any negative impact on their careers. The support, should at a minimum, involve having a clear policy on the matter which addresses time off, appropriate adjustments at work such as flexible working, where appropriate, as well as general support through awareness. Mandatory training should be given to management so that they know how to address any cases in a fair and consistent way.
While menopausal symptoms can vary among those that experience it, employers should encourage openness about the topic and demystify any preconceived notions among those that may not ever experience it. As this is a highly sensitive matter, the employer should also ensure the privacy of the sufferers is maintained, where requested. It involves careful navigation of an important yet delicate topic.
The pay-off for employers is worth it. They retain their best staff while helping their impacted employees to navigate a challenging, yet natural, phase of their lives. Those employees that are genuinely supported by their employer will naturally show greater loyalty and increased efforts in their roles. It also ensures that the employers aren’t falling into any potential discriminatory cases, resulting in damaged brand reputation not to mention the financial repercussions.
What can employees do to support employees experiencing symptoms of perimenopause/the menopause?
Employees can play a crucial role in supporting those employees that experience symptoms of perimenopause/the menopause. Showing empathy and compassion as a coworker is an easy immediate implementable action. This could be as simple as lending an ear to listen to being flexible and understanding in adjusting the office temperature where the sufferer is experiencing a hot flush.
Championing awareness is another action that all employees can take part in. We’re all likely know, personally or otherwise, someone that has gone through or is going through the menopause.
Encouraging and volunteering as a menopause and wellbeing champion if the employer does not already have this in place. Taking part in support networks, regardless of your gender, so questions can be openly asked in a safe forum.
Collectively challenging inappropriate behaviour, in a positive and conducive way, towards those that are experiencing menopausal symptoms.
If you have any instances or stories you’d like to discuss anonymously regarding the perimenopause/menopause, click on the button below to post in our forum.
Any references to specific genders are purely for illustrative purposes and do not imply any assumptions about an individual’s identity.