- Conference
- 2020 Higher Education Service Group Conference
- Date
- 26 September 2019
- Decision
- Carried
The UK’s higher education support staff workforce comprises 63% women and over 40% of university support staff are aged 46 and over. The menopause is experienced by women primarily between the ages of 45 to 55, although some may experience it earlier, and it can continue for many years.
Symptoms associated with the menopause include hot flushes, palpitations, night sweats and sleep disturbance, fatigue, poor concentration, irritability, mood disturbance, skin irritation and dryness. The menopause can lead to changes in an individual’s health and may also lead to emotional changes. These symptoms can affect how women do their work and their relationships with colleagues. Both those who identify as women as well as those who may not identify as women can experience the menopause. Trans men, trans women, non-binary people and those who are intersex may also experience menopausal symptoms.
Everyone’s experience of the menopause is individual and may differ greatly, but inevitably symptoms will be exacerbated by negative or discriminatory attitudes in the workplace.
Employers have been slow to recognise that workers of menopausal age may need special consideration. For too long it has simply been seen as a private matter and has not been proactively discussed or addressed at work and support for menopausal workers has not been put in place.
As a result many managers will have no awareness of the issues involved. This means many feel that they have to hide their symptoms and will be less likely to ask for the adjustments that may help them in the workplace.
This must change. The menopause is an occupational health issue, and one that is now recognised as a workplace issue.
There have been a number of recent legal cases which have reinforced and set the precedent that the menopause is covered by the Equality Act 2010 in a number of protected characteristic categories such as gender, age and disability.
Conference acknowledges and welcomes that UNISON has produced a number of good resources relating to supporting peri and post menopausal members.
Given the workforce profile of higher education, conference call on the service group executive to:
1)work with UNISON’s Women and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. (LGBT)+ self organised groups to develop a model menopause policy for branches to use with their employers that recognises the specific demographic of the higher education workforce;
2)run a workshop at the 2020 Higher Education (HE) Branch seminar on menopause and the workplace.