World Menopause Day 2024
Professor Carole Davis, Menopause Hub Lead, writes about the importance of World Menopause Day, read below.
October is Menopause Awareness Month and World Menopause Day is held annually on 18 October. Now in its’ 15th year World Menopause Day, established in 2009 by the International Menopause Society in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO) is an internationally recognised event. This year’s theme for World Menopause Day 2024 is Menopause Hormone Therapy, known in the UK as Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT).
So, you may be wondering how is this relevant to the Maritime Industry? Allow me to explain menopausal women are the fastest-growing workplace demographic and it’s estimated that of the 33m people employed in the UK, nearly 6m of those are experiencing the menopause.
3 in 4 of those women going through the menopause experience symptoms and for 1 in 4, symptoms are severe: from physical symptoms like hot flushes to psychological ones like stress, anxiety, and loss of confidence. This can have an enormous impact on people’s lives both in and out of work. Yet 46% of those affected will not disclose their symptoms to employers through fear of negative response. Giving them the confidence to speak about it in the workplace and be encouraged to do so can make a dramatic difference.
It is important to recognise that there is a great deal of individual variation with no two individuals the same including those who experience no or next to no symptoms. However, for every positive experience there is a miserable one. A way of mitigating against potential embarrassment and shame is for workplaces to normalise ‘menopause’ as a topic of conversation. Let us join together in making it acceptable to talk about it openly at work in meetings and emails.
While the average menopause age is 51, symptoms usually start around age 40, a stage called peri menopause. These are workers often at the peak of their professional careers, yet 25% consider quitting their jobs, 14% go part time and 10% actually quit their jobs. By raising menopause awareness at work and providing menopause support, we can avoid this. In short, being menopause friendly helps your financial bottom line.
We call on the Maritime sector to commit to improving women’s health and wellbeing through ‘menopause friendly’ workplaces. We want those experiencing the menopause to continue to thrive at work. And it doesn’t just affect the individual woman: others affected include family members, partners and all those experiencing the menopause have a relationship with. Lastly, we should recognise the impact of menopause on trans and non-binary people as well.
It would be remiss of me to write this blog without acknowledging the recent controversy surrounding Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) and on concerns about its overprescribing.
In response to this Lesley Salem from Over the bloody moon, a dynamic collective of menopause specialists, eloquently argues that: -
“We need better diagnosis, consistency over regulations, more innovation, more scientific research, a greater appreciation on the diversity of menopause, and leadership and alignment from the HCPs [ Health Care Professionals} and bodies that bind them “.
I absolutely support the urgent need for more scientific research into the efficacy of HRT. Much of the existing research on the menopause was conducted on white women and so not necessarily representative of a range of ethnic groups. Thus, we also need much more research into the different experiences of Black and Asian women whose symptoms and presentation of the menopause are found to vary.
What can the Maritime industry do for World Menopause Day 2024? One thing, easily achievable, would be for Maritime companies and organisations to focus on developing a Menopause Policy. Such a policy can only be sustainable if it truly reflects a commitment to dignity, equality, diversity, and inclusion and is congruent with creating a positive work environment
We call on the Maritime sector to commit to improving health and wellbeing through ‘menopause friendly’ workplaces. We want those in our industry experiencing menopause to continue to thrive at work. After all, isn’t this ‘Kind Leadership’ in its’ purest form?
Professor Carole Davis