[UK] Menopause can become a smokescreen for ageism

Menopause has become the workplace talking point du jour. Cool-down rooms, desk fans, and the relaxation of dress codes are among the solutions employers have offered to help staff deal with symptoms. But there is a danger that the important conversation about menopause is being allowed to distract from an essential dialogue about ageism, Financial Times reports.

The House of Commons’ Women and Equalities Committee published a report last week which advocated for a menopause ambassador “to help to introduce model workplace policies covering how to request reasonable adjustments, advice on flexible working and sick leave, and building a supportive culture”. And October has reportedly been designated menopause month by the World Health Organization. 

Women’s jobs have been destabilised by menopausal symptoms; low moods, sleeplessness, or inability to remember familiar words. They can push “highly skilled and experienced” women out of work, the Women and Equalities report found, with “knock-on effects on the gender pay gap, pension gap and the number of women in senior leadership positions”.  

But Financial Times Work and Careers writer Emma Jacobs is concerned that organisations are using such symptoms as a smokescreen for ageism. She argues that all the desk fans, cool-down rooms and ambassadors do nothing to address the lack of career development - or worse, discrimination - available to women (or indeed men) in their late 40s, 50s and 60s. 

A 2021 report into financial services by the Standard Chartered bank, indicates elements beyond physical symptoms at play. It found that as women got older they felt less able to be “heard when they make a suggestion or offer an opinion”. In addition, menopausal women do not feel valued in the workplace; an issue that is also experienced among older men, the report revealed; ageism. 

Research by the CBI - Britain’s largest employers group - reveals that two-fifths of employers admit to being less likely to recruit people over 50, and about a third would be prepared to retrain staff over that age. Menopause might affect confidence but so does feeling invisible at work and perceiving that your views don’t matter. 

Employers understandably want to ensure a pipeline of talented women yet senior women are all too often ignored. For some, their menopause might coincide with a time in their life when they have more ambition than ever, particularly if their children have left home. With the current financial challenges delaying young people from moving into homes of their own, others may find their nests are not yet empty. Teenagers can also be emotionally taxing, as can the demands of caring for ageing parents. Emotional labour takes a toll.

Andy Briggs - group chief executive of insurer Phoenix Group and government business champion for older workers - told the FT that “women are disproportionately affected by some of the challenges and discrimination faced by an ageing workforce - research has shown that women have a 50-50 chance of providing unpaid care to a relative by the time they are 46 years old.” 

He said this means that many take unpaid time off work or leave their jobs to accommodate these responsibilities. The pandemic has made flexible working more common he said, however, it is far from universal and rigidity can be “a barrier” that disproportionately affects women. 

When human resources officers raise their voices for menopause awareness, Ms Jacobs says there is a risk that a more complicated problem is being medicalised; employers’ inability to understand their workers’ lives and an unwillingness to tackle ageism.  

Source: Financial Times

(Quotes via original reporting)

Menopause has become the workplace talking point du jour. Cool-down rooms, desk fans, and the relaxation of dress codes are among the solutions employers have offered to help staff deal with symptoms. But there is a danger that the important conversation about menopause is being allowed to distract from an essential dialogue about ageism, Financial Times reports.

The House of Commons’ Women and Equalities Committee published a report last week which advocated for a menopause ambassador “to help to introduce model workplace policies covering how to request reasonable adjustments, advice on flexible working and sick leave, and building a supportive culture”. And October has reportedly been designated menopause month by the World Health Organization. 

Women’s jobs have been destabilised by menopausal symptoms; low moods, sleeplessness, or inability to remember familiar words. They can push “highly skilled and experienced” women out of work, the Women and Equalities report found, with “knock-on effects on the gender pay gap, pension gap and the number of women in senior leadership positions”.  

But Financial Times Work and Careers writer Emma Jacobs is concerned that organisations are using such symptoms as a smokescreen for ageism. She argues that all the desk fans, cool-down rooms and ambassadors do nothing to address the lack of career development - or worse, discrimination - available to women (or indeed men) in their late 40s, 50s and 60s. 

A 2021 report into financial services by the Standard Chartered bank, indicates elements beyond physical symptoms at play. It found that as women got older they felt less able to be “heard when they make a suggestion or offer an opinion”. In addition, menopausal women do not feel valued in the workplace; an issue that is also experienced among older men, the report revealed; ageism. 

Research by the CBI - Britain’s largest employers group - reveals that two-fifths of employers admit to being less likely to recruit people over 50, and about a third would be prepared to retrain staff over that age. Menopause might affect confidence but so does feeling invisible at work and perceiving that your views don’t matter. 

Employers understandably want to ensure a pipeline of talented women yet senior women are all too often ignored. For some, their menopause might coincide with a time in their life when they have more ambition than ever, particularly if their children have left home. With the current financial challenges delaying young people from moving into homes of their own, others may find their nests are not yet empty. Teenagers can also be emotionally taxing, as can the demands of caring for ageing parents. Emotional labour takes a toll.

Andy Briggs - group chief executive of insurer Phoenix Group and government business champion for older workers - told the FT that “women are disproportionately affected by some of the challenges and discrimination faced by an ageing workforce - research has shown that women have a 50-50 chance of providing unpaid care to a relative by the time they are 46 years old.” 

He said this means that many take unpaid time off work or leave their jobs to accommodate these responsibilities. The pandemic has made flexible working more common he said, however, it is far from universal and rigidity can be “a barrier” that disproportionately affects women. 

When human resources officers raise their voices for menopause awareness, Ms Jacobs says there is a risk that a more complicated problem is being medicalised; employers’ inability to understand their workers’ lives and an unwillingness to tackle ageism.  

Source: Financial Times

(Quotes via original reporting)