NEWS COPY
Women are not getting the help they may need during the menopause - because they can’t bear to open up to their boss.
Of those who have gone through ‘The Change’, around four in 10 felt unable to talk about it at work, especially with male managers or colleagues.
And a third even admitted they wanted to take a menopause-related day off, but struggled to find the words to explain it to their boss.
A quarter of women have even heard male colleagues making rude or inappropriate comments about the menopause in the workplace.
But times are changing as the research, commissioned by Vitabiotics Menopace, found 32 per cent would happily discuss their experience and how they feel while in work.
A spokeswoman for Menopace, said: “The menopause is something all women go through - it’s a natural stage of life.
"But it seems there is still some stigma when it comes to talking about what they are experiencing and how they feel, particularly at work.
“While it seems many believe the taboo is slowly being broken, there is still a lot to be done to normalise the menopause in the workplace.
“Female employees should feel comfortable enough to open up to their managers if they are feeling tired or need to take a day off due to the menopause without having to hide the real reason - regardless of whether their boss is male or female.”
The study of 2,000 women also found that of those who don’t feel they could talk about the menopause at work, 57 per cent put it down to it being ‘personal’ while more than one in 10 worry it would harm their chances of promotion.
Others keep quiet as they don’t feel close enough to anyone at work to discuss it (36 per cent), don’t want to appear weak to their colleagues or managers (23 per cent) or fear people will treat them differently (24 per cent).
Almost half don’t feel they would be able to talk to their male boss about the menopause compared to just 18 per cent who said the same of a female boss.
And while 46 per cent would shy away from sharing details with a male colleague, only 16 per cent would avoid discussing it with a woman they worked with.
Around three in 10 would feel awkward talking to someone at work about the condition while another 24 per cent would be embarrassed.
But one in twenty believe they would feel empowered opening up about it.
It also emerged that if they needed to take time off work due to the menopause, 30 per cent would rather pretend they were feeling ill or under the weather for other reasons than admit it was due to the menopause.
And 33 per cent of those who have gone through the change admitted to needing to take a day off, but not feeling that they were able to.
Almost a quarter of those (23 per cent) stayed in work as they didn’t want to speak to their boss about it, but 22 per cent worried about getting behind on their work.
Others worried that people would think they couldn’t do their job properly (22 per cent), couldn’t afford to take the time off (24 per cent) or didn’t want to appear weak (23 per cent).
The study, carried out via OnePoll, also found 63 per cent of women think the menopause is still a taboo subject
But 48 per cent feel it is becoming less of a ‘secret subject’ in the workplace and something more women are able to talk about openly.
Around three in 10 of those believe this is due to more high-profile women talking about it such as Dawn French, Zoe Ball, Anthea Turner and Carol Vorderman, while a quarter put it down to there being more women in senior or high level jobs than in the past.
And 15 per cent think it’s because men are becoming more understanding and supportive about the menopause.
Deborah Garlick from Henpicked: Menopause in the Workplace, said: “Times are changing and it’s good to see some of these improvements.
“More employers are starting to take menopause seriously.
“This month alone sees launches from employers large and small, public to private sector - Sainsbury’s to Southeastern, HSBC UK to The Natural History Museum, ATOS to borough councils, NHS Trusts and leading universities.
“Rightly, momentum is building and it’s time to accelerate.”
ENDS
