Desk fans can help deal with menopause

Report suggests desk fans, lighter uniforms and access to natural light should be provided to employees

Desk fans should be introduced in every workplace to help women through the menopause, a government report has said. The Government Equalities Office also recommended companies provide access to natural light, places to rest and flexible working patterns, and said many women struggled in traditional office environments where formal meetings and deadlines could exacerbate hot flushes, headaches, depression and fatigue.

DESK fans should be introduced in every workplace to help women through the menopause, a government report has said.

Firms must provide non-synthetic uniforms, access to natural light, places to rest, and special absence policies.

The biggest increase in employment rates since the early Nineties has been women in their 50s, with more choosing to work much later in life.

But the report from the Government Equalities Office found that many women struggled in traditional office environments, where formal meetings and deadlines could exacerbate hot flushes, headaches, depression and fatigue.

For some, symptoms became so debilitating they were forced to reduce working hours, or even leave jobs.

In the most comprehensive study of its kind, the report found that many women going through menopause felt colleagues were unsympathetic. The report also called on companies to introduce flexible working patterns so women could cope better with menopause-related sleep loss.

Although maternity and pregnancy were well catered for, menopause was largely ignored, the report said, even though it had a serious impact on women’s health and ability to work.

Professor Jo Brewis, the lead author of the study, from the University of Leicester, said: “Menopause transition has both negative and positive effects, although there is more evidence for the former, including reduced productivity, higher absenteeism and lower job satisfaction. The evidence indicates that many find symptoms, especially hot flushes, difficult to manage and that being at work can exacerbate these.

“But women tend to feel that they need to cope alone, for example because they don’t want their manager or colleagues to think their performance is being affected or because they find the prospect of disclosure embarrass- ing. There is also some evidence of gendered ageism in organisations, a factor which requires more research.”

Prof Mary Ann Lumsden, professor of gynaecology and medical education at Glasgow University and past president of the British Menopause Society, said: “A lot of women are at the peak of their careers when the menopause hits, and it can be extremely debilitating. I think women are embarrassed or unwilling to talk which has led to a culture where it isn’t discussed. We need better education for women, so they

‘A lot of women are at the peak of their careers when the menopause hits. It can be extremely debilitating’

know what to expect and what they can do to lessen the symptoms. Workplaces should be offering options like desk fans and lighter uniforms that women can discreetly use if they wish.”

Prof Brewis said that more women in the UK were working than ever before, and that they also outnumbered men in many labour market sectors, including health and social care.

The average age of menopause is now 51, so many women in the UK experience this natural mid-life phenomenon in employment. In the UK there are around 4.3 million women aged 50 and over in employment, a 72 per cent rise since 1994. The report concludes: “Increased rates of employment among women aged 50 and above mean more working women than ever before will experience the menopause.

“We can expect that up to 47 per cent of the UK workforce, ie all female workers, will experience menopause during their working lives.”

The report reviewed 104 English publications on the effects of menopause transition on women’s economic participation in the UK from 1990 to the end of March 2016.