Time to menopause for thought
WELSH Labour MP Carolyn Harris is no shrinking violet. Last year she called out and fought down bullying after a photograph of her looking at her phone in the House of Commons was taken by social media users as her being asleep.
At the same time she has been leading a movement looking to ‘smash’ the remnants of the taboo around the menopause. She leads a government task force and she’s pushing that with an energy that is unsurprising when you meet her.
‘You don’t get change unless you ask for it and you demand it,’ she said. ‘I want to be in a position where the government can’t say no and where companies won’t say no.’
The menopause appears on first view to be underrated and understated in Guernsey. Our reporters found it difficult to nail down the States’ position on it in the workplace when we asked recently.
And while Ms Harris warns of 13m. women in the UK experiencing menopause, and many suffering the symptoms, and research shows that the UK could be losing 14m. work days a year related to it – which would equate to 14,000 work days in Guernsey – that’s a lot of economic output lost when the ongoing tax review is raising pressure on more of us making a contribution, and requiring as many people do so for as long as possible.
But solutions – equating to basic awareness really – can be very simple. It’s an open invite to all employers to up their game for the good of their staff, and the broader economy.