Nearly one million women in the UK left their jobs because of menopausal symptoms.
This could mean that women are leaving businesses at the peak of their experience instead of taking up senior management roles, therefore reducing diversity at executive levels and contributing to the gender pay gap and disparity in pensions.
Currently, under the Equality Act 2010 menopause discrimination is mainly covered under three protected characteristics: age, sex and disability discrimination.
In light of this, the Women and Equalities Committee launched an inquiry into workplace issues surrounding the menopause. The aims of the inquiry are the following:
The submissions to the inquiry can be made until 17 September 2021.
There is an ongoing debate at present around how menopause in the workplace is best managed. While it is unclear at this stage whether the government will introduce further legislation to address menopause discrimination, employers should be aware of this issue and undertake a review of the existing policies and practices that are currently in place. Employers should consider either implementing a menopause policy or updating policies where necessary, and ensure appropriate support is available to those experiencing the menopause.