‘Businesses need to do more for women in menopause’

THE MP leading a ‘menopause taskforce’ in the Houses of Parliament has called on Guernsey businesses to do more to accommodate menopausal women in the workplace.

Labour MP for Swansea East, Carolyn Harris, who leading a ‘menopause taskforce’ in the Houses of Parliament spoke at a seminar yesterday on the issue. (Picture by Luke Le Prevost, 30790542)

Carolyn Harris, Labour MP for Swansea East, was speaking in the island yesterday at a seminar, organised by Walkers and Kleinwort Hambros, on the issue.

‘Businesses need to think about the women they employ, and the women they’d like to employ, and just because a woman is of a certain age doesn’t mean to say she hasn’t got any value,’ she said.

‘Think about the women at work that you have, ask them if there’s anything that maybe you can do or that they would like you to do to make that environment a little easier for them.’

Ms Harris started her movement for change when she had been put on anti-depressants for her symptoms without her or her doctor realising that they were consistent with the menopause.

In the UK, there are 13m. women who are likely to be going through the menopause, and fewer than half of them have seen a health professional for their symptoms. It is thought that this percentage is also reflected in the Channel Islands.

‘Unfortunately a lot of people, females as well as males, haven’t been educated on the menopause and their private health cover provided by their company often doesn’t cover it,’ she said.

‘I would encourage women in Guernsey to get together and talk to themselves and their symptoms and not be embarrassed, as the likelihood is that their friends and colleagues will be going through something similar.

‘It needs people, it needs a simple fact sheet that asks questions such as: Have you got any of these symptoms?

‘Have you ever thought you might be menopausal?’

Ms Harris’ visit called for a panel of corporate Channel Island professionals to come together to discuss the issues faced by local women going through the menopause.

She told local businesses that this was no longer a tick-boxing exercise, and instead employers must create a space for open conversation in their workplaces and consider the symptoms their employees could be experiencing before they have to give up their jobs.