Grace’s Musings: Why the menopause chat isn’t working
The menopause has finally made it into mainstream conversation, but that doesn’t mean things are any easier for women in certain spheres – one of which is the workplace.
Research suggests that one in 10 women aged between 45 and 55 will leave a job because of menopause symptoms, according to the largest survey of its kind ever conducted in the UK. Not only that, but 14% of women have reduced their hours at work and 8% have not applied for promotion, all because of the 40-plus symptoms that include brain fog and hot flushes. That’s an awful lot of work undone when you consider that women of menopausal age make up 11% of the UK workforce.
Across the Atlantic, the male bastion of Hollywood is finally opening up about it, too, thanks to actors such as Naomi Watts, who spoke out about her experience in a recent episode of Off Script with The Hollywood Reporter.
In a round-table discussion with Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Aniston and Jodie Foster, Watts revealed that after having children, she went straight into menopause, with “hardcore symptoms in my early forties. I still felt very ashamed and like if I ever dared to mention that word [menopause], I would be branded as redundant, off to pasture. ‘Go to the sidelines. You’re not sexy. There’s no way you can act anymore.’”
Watts felt it would be career-ending to bring her experience of menopause into the – male-dominated – room. “But then I was, like, ‘This makes no sense. We’re half the population.’ Everybody’s going to go into menopause at some point – why shouldn’t we be talking about it?
“So I just went, ‘Fuck this, let’s just talk about it. And in terms of my career, I felt, like, ‘Well, if it spooks everyone, that’s a bummer.’ But, you know, hopefully it actually does the opposite.”
People are talking about it, sure enough, but I still can’t help being disappointed at the lack of support, in the UK, from the health service, the major political parties and society at large for women in menopause. And that’s despite all the high-profile campaigning that has gone on in the past couple of years.
Broadcasters are leading the way. Andrea McLean has shared her experience of early menopause on TV and in the press; Davina McCall has made two amazing documentaries for Channel 4; Louise Minchin has raised awareness of menopause in the workplace; and Lisa Snowdon has co-hosted the Midweek Menopause Madness series with Dr Naomi Potter. We’ve finally got fact-based research, to help ensure safe hormone-replacement therapy, educate healthcare professionals and campaign for inclusive menopause care worldwide.
And yet sometimes it feels like we’re no further forward, in terms of the workplace, at least. Yes, menopause policies are being talked about at corporate level, but it’s not enough for companies to have a document that just sits in a file. We need real cultural change.
One not-for-profit whose work I respect is Menopause Mandate. Chaired by Mariella Frostrup, this group of experts, celebrities and journalists are lending their voices to campaigning for workplace rights, better healthcare and more in-depth menopause education. Their patrons include TV presenter Carol Vorderman, author and screenwriter Emma Kennedy, sports pundit Gabby Logan and DJ Jo Whiley. And their message?
“We are not willing to wait any longer for change. Women need to be supported right now. Not after a consultation period, not after the proposal is kicked around for a year or more, not as a tick in the box and a pat on the head, and definitely not when a male-dominated government decides they might do something. We are working for change. NOW.”
They are currently campaigning for issues around menopause to be included in the NHS over-forties health check – given that many women will already be experiencing symptoms and many more will be on the cusp. “The effects of ignorance are incredibly damaging,” they say, “and, as we know, can lead to years of suffering, job loss, broken relationships and worse.”
