Employers’ lack of support for menopausal symptoms is pushing ‘highly skilled and experienced’ women out of work, with knock-on effects on the gender pay gap, pension gap and the number of women in senior leadership positions.
Today’s cross-party House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee calls on the government for action. They want to amend the Equality Act so that menopause is now protected and for employers to make reasonable adjustments to accommodate menopausal employees.
The MPs also suggested that the government remove dual prescription fees for oestrogen or progesterone from Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), nationwide, and replace it with one charge for all women.
The average age at menopause is 51. Perimenopause can often start years earlier. With 4.5 million women aged 50-64 currently in employment, the report emphasises the scale of the problem facing ‘individuals, the economy and society’. The report shows that women with at least one menopausal symptom will be 43% more likely than those without severe symptoms to have left their job by 55. BUPA’s research also shows that 900,000.
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A new Menopause Ambassador would be a significant step in reducing the number women being forced out of work. This ambassador would collaborate with employers, unions, and others to produce models of menopause policies.
The report also discusses the significant obstacles women face when seeking a diagnosis of menopause and perimenopause. The current postcode lottery determining access to specialist care is, say MPs, ‘unacceptable’, and necessitates a specialist menopause service in every Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).
MP warn that menopausal women are often forced out of their jobs by stigma, discrimination, and lack of support. In a survey of over 2000 women commissioned by the committee, 67% reported ‘a loss of confidence’ as a result of menopausal symptoms and 70% reported ‘increased stress’. Despite this, only 12% of respondents sought any workplace adjustments, with 1 in 4 citing their worries about an employers’ reaction as their reason for not doing so.
While waiting for the roll-out of a digital prepayment certificate, which would allow patients to access 12 months’ supply of HRT for a single prescription charge of £18.70, many GPs are unaware they can issue an interim paper prescription, meaning many women are paying more than they should for vital HRT. There have also been severe shortages in supply, with the government recently issuing a ‘serious shortage protocol’.
MPs call on the government to hold a consultation by the end of 2022 to explore how to make menopause a protected characteristic, just like pregnancy and maternity. It is ‘anomalous’ that menopause is not currently included, given all women will experience menopause.
They also suggested that the government should launch a public campaign on the subject and enact Section 14 of Equality Act. This would allow claims based upon combined discrimination (e.g sex, age).
The report calls for the appointment of a Menopause Ambassador, who will be responsible for helping to create model workplace policies that include how to request reasonable adjustments, advice about flexible working and sick leave, as well as building a supportive culture.
Chair of the women and equalities committee, Caroline Nokes MP, said upon the report’s publication: “Menopause is inevitable. However, the steady haemorrhage in talented women from our workforce is not. Stigma, shame, and dismissive cultures must be eliminated. It is essential that we create workplaces, and a society, that not only support those going through menopause, but also encourages our most skilled workers to flourish.
“The omission of menopause as a protected characteristic under the Equality Act is no longer tenable, given that 51% of the population will experience menopause. We were shocked to learn that many women must prove their menopausal symptoms as a disability in order to receive redress.
“Menopausal women have been mocked and maligned for too long. It is high-time that the government takes the opportunity to implement change. It is time to support, and celebrate, these women.”
