Almost a fifth of of working women in the UK who are experiencing menopause are considering leaving their jobs, a survey shows.
The study showed that most women don’t get any support at work for their symptoms and almost a quarter of them are unhappy in their jobs because of it. As a result, about 18% are thinking about quitting, the survey of 2,000 women between the ages of 45 and 67 showed.
“Women should never be pushed out of the workplace because of their biology,” said Rachel Carrell, the founder of Koru Kids, which commissioned the survey. “We need to support older women with flexible working and health support so they don’t fall out of the workplace needlessly.”
Of the women surveyed, 63% said their employers hadn’t introduced any policy to support those struggling with symptoms.
The symptoms caused by menopause and the time leading up to it, perimenopause, include loss of sleep, mood swings and hot flashes. They can be so debilitating that they have a bigger impact on women’s careers than anything else, except having children.
It also strains labour markets, where job vacancies go unfilled because of a shortage of qualified staff.
Women looking to quit listed pressure, not being able to work flexibly and a lack of understanding from management as the key reasons they wanted to leave.
Of the women surveyed, 63% said their employers hadn’t introduced any policy to support those struggling with symptoms. An even higher proportion of those who had taken time off because of their symptoms hadn’t told their employer the real reason.
More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
— Bloomberg
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