One in 10 menopausal women quit job

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 per cent of women had reduced their hours at work, 14 per cent had gone part-time, and eight per cent had not applied for promotion.

Davina McCall: Sex, Mind And the Menopause, which will be shown at 9pm tonight, presents 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 10 per cent of menopausal women who are or have been employed during the menopause have left their job due to their symptoms.

Forty-five per cent of the 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 per cent had not spoken to their GP or a nurse.

Fawcett Society chief executive Jemima Olchawski said: “Menopausal women are experiencing unnecessary misery and it’s a national scandal.

“The Government needs to make urgent changes, from requiring employers to have menopause action plans, to ensuring that GPs are adequately trained to spot menopause symptoms.”