MPs have called for menopause to be a protected characteristic and for a special ambassador to keep women in the workplace, after a report showed the UK is currently “haemorrhaging talent”.
Employers’ lack of support for menopausal symptoms is pushing “highly skilled and experienced” women out of work, according to the cross-party women and equalities committee.
Their report calls on the government to amend the Equality Act to introduce menopause as a protected characteristic and to include a duty for employers to provide reasonable adjustments for menopausal employees.
The MPs are also urging ministers to remove dual prescription charges for oestrogen and progesterone as part of hormone replacement therapy (HRT), replacing it with a single charge.
With 4.5 million women aged 50-64 currently in employment, the report highlights the knock-on effects of being out of work on the gender pay gap, the pension gap and numbers in senior leadership positions.
Research showed that women experiencing at least one problematic menopausal symptom are 43% more likely to have left their jobs by the age of 55 than those experiencing no severe symptoms, while research by Bupa shows that 900,000 women experiencing the menopause have left work.
The report recommends a menopause ambassador could produce model policies and disseminate good practice, in collaboration with employers, unions and other stakeholders.
It also criticised an “unacceptable” postcode lottery for access to specialist care and recommends there should be a specialist menopause service in every clinical commissioning group.
The report found stigma, lack of support and discrimination were key factors in women leaving the work place; that the current law does not serve or protect menopausal women; and women felt their GP was not well equipped to properly diagnose or treat menopause with women also paying more than they should for prescriptions.
It called on the government to launch an immediate consultation on introducing menopause as a protected characteristic, launch a public health campaign on menopause symptoms, and pilot a “menopause leave” policy within the public sector.
The women and equalities committee chair, Caroline Nokes MP, said: “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.
“Menopausal women have been mocked and maligned for too long. It is time that the government seizes the opportunity to enact change. It is time to support, and celebrate, these women.”
Colin Davidson, head of employment at Edwards Duthie Shamash and co-chair of the Discrimination Law Association, who gave evidence to the committee, said: “The government must listen to the committee’s proposals and act immediately to make the menopause a protected characteristic to prevent women from suffering harassment and discrimination at work simply for going through a natural part of their lifecycle.”
A government spokesperson said: “The UK-wide menopause taskforce is seeking to end the taboos surrounding the menopause and considering the role workplace policies can play in supporting menopausal women, and the government’s health and wellbeing fund is helping expand and develop projects which support women experiencing the menopause to remain in the workplace.”
