- Conference
- 2025 National Women's Conference
- Date
- 18 October 2024
- Decision
- Carried as Amended
Menstruation affects most women, especially Black women as well as trans men and many gender diverse and non-binary people, for more than half of their working lives. While periods are a normal part of life, there are many ways that menstruation can affect working lives and the ability to do one’s job.
Research suggests that Black women are more likely to experience severe or very severe symptoms of endometriosis.
However, this is not widely recognised by employers. In November 2023, the CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development) surveyed 2,000 women who had experienced menstruation in the workplace and found that:
• almost four in five women surveyed had experienced menstruation symptoms;
• more than two-thirds of those with symptoms had experienced a negative impact at work;
• fifteen percent of respondents had a menstrual health condition like endometriosis;
• but only 12% of employers provide support for menstruation and menstrual health.
For some women and people who menstruate, periods may be painful or debilitating, or exacerbated by another health condition. In some instances, workers may need to take sick leave in order to manage period pain; or may be experiencing chronic menstrual health and fertility-related conditions such as endometriosis, fibroids, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD).
Menstrual health problems may qualify as a disability under the Equality Act 2010, or be an additional factor affecting disabled people. It is important that workplace disability, reasonable adjustments and sickness policies reflect the ways that menstruation can impact on working lives, and take a supportive, not punitive, approach to employees experiencing menstrual symptoms.
There also continues to be a stigma and sense of embarrassment around menstruation: the CIPD report found that around half of employees who have to take a day off due to menstruation-related symptoms were reluctant to tell their manager that this was related to their menstrual cycle.
In addition, ‘period poverty’ is rising in the UK. An ActionAid poll in May 2023 found that that 21% of women and people who menstruate in the UK struggle to afford period products – up from 12% since 2022. This particularly affects young women – more than a quarter of 18-24-year-olds surveyed by ActionAid said they sometimes could not afford period products.
Being unable to afford period products can mean that people stay home from work, use period products for longer than is safe, or are forced to rely on unsanitary alternatives. This can be a risk to health, and does not afford women and people who menstruate the dignity we all deserve.
Conference notes that UNISON branches have successfully campaigned for employers to address period poverty by providing free period products at work, for example in 2022 UNISON Westminster secured an agreement from Westminster Council to provide free period products for staff working in all council offices.
Conference believes that menstrual health is a trade union issue, and that access to safe, affordable period products is a right for all women and people who menstruate. UNISON’s National Women’s Committee is ideally placed to raise the importance of this issue in the workplace.
Conference asks the National Women’s Committee to:
1)Consider surveying UNISON members on how menstruation affects or has affected their working lives, including health issues, disability, access to sickness or wellbeing leave, and the impact of period poverty;
2)Consider producing guidance for branches on negotiating sickness, wellbeing and other policies which reflect the impact of menstrual health in the workplace;
3)Work with the National Disabled Members Committee to review UNISON guidance on reasonable adjustments and disability, and consider updating these to include information about menstrual health and fertility-related conditions where relevant;
4)Encourage branches to raise the issue of period poverty locally with employers, and consider producing guidance for branch Women’s Officers and Welfare Officers on how to campaign for provision of free period products in the workplace;
5)Share and promote examples of successful campaigns and best practice in this area with Regional Women’s Committees, branches, and members;
6)Work with Labour Link to influence the new Labour government to recognise the impact of menstruation and menstrual health in the workplace and the impact of period poverty, and to address these through appropriate policy proposals.