One in 10 women quit job on ‘change’

ONE in 10 women who have worked during the menopause have left a job due to their symptoms, according to what is believed to be the largest survey of menopausal women conducted in the UK.

The research, which will feature in a new Channel 4 documentary, found that 14% of women had reduced their hours at work, 14% had gone part-time, and 8% had not applied for promotion.

Davina McCall: Sex, Mind And The Menopause will present findings from the survey of more than 4,000 women.

Finestripe Productions, which was commissioned by Channel 4 to produce the documentary, asked Savanta ComRes to conduct a representative survey of 4,014 UK women aged 45-55 who are currently or have previously experienced the perimenopause or the menopause.

The research was supported by the Fawcett Society, which has produced a report called Menopause And The Workplace.

The report said the research found that 10% of menopausal women who are or have been employed during the menopause have left their job due to their symptoms.

It said that, mapped on to the total UK population of five million women aged 45-55, that would represent 333,000 women leaving their jobs due to the menopause.

A further 13% of menopausal women who have been employed during menopause have considered leaving their job, the report said.

The research found that disabled women were more likely to have left work due to the menopause (22%), as were women who said they experienced five or more “very difficult” menopause symptoms (19%).

Meanwhile, 45% of women surveyed said they had not talked to someone at their GP practice about menopause, and even among women with five or more severe symptoms, 29% had not spoken to their GP or a nurse.

Some 31% of women surveyed agreed that it took many appointments for their GP to realise they were experiencing the menopause or perimenopause, rising to 45% among women of colour and 42% among women with five or more severe symptoms.

Just 39% of women who spoke to a GP or nurse said they had been offered HRT once they were diagnosed with menopause.

HRT can help alleviate severe menopause symptoms including hot flushes, night sweats, low mood, anxiety and difficulty sleeping.

Davina McCall: Sex, Mind And The Menopause is on Channel 4 at 9pm today