The Government has rejected a menopause leave trial
(Picture: Anna Gowthorpe / PA)A number of proposals put forward by the Women and Equalities Committee have been rejected by the Government, including a trial of menopause leave.
The committee put forward the idea due to the “significant and sometimes debilitating impact” the symptoms of menopause can have on women at work.
However, in an outright rejection of developing a pilot scheme, the Government said it would rather see employers implement policies to “support menopausal women to remain in the workplace”, and raised concerns “that specific menopause leave may be counterproductive to achieving this goal”.
Chair of the Women and Equalities Committee and Conservative MP Caroline Nokes responded: “This belated response to our report is a missed opportunity to protect vast numbers of talented and experienced women from leaving the workforce, and leaves me unconvinced that menopause is a Government priority.
“For too long, women have faced stigma, shame, and dismissive attitudes when it comes to menopause. The evidence to our inquiry was crystal clear that urgent action was needed across healthcare and work settings to properly address women’s needs, yet Government progress has been glacial and its response complacent.
“Its refusal to even consult on reforming equalities law doesn’t make sense and we urge it to look again.”
Should women be entitled to menopause leave? Let us know in the comments or on our Instagram for your chance to be featured on the Evening Standard website.
Yesterday, we asked if the City has a class problem, after a recent report found that only a third of the people in the top jobs come from lower socio-economic backgrounds.
chunckylegs responded on Instagram: “That’s not bad at all. Less education and parental ambition among the lower class. So a third is in the right direction.”
lesleysymons believes London does have a problem with class: “It sooo does. Closed shop. Group think. Lack of diversity.”
grt.thompson1 says it’s not just London: “The whole country has a class problem.”
