Edith Lewis, Principal Lecturer in Social Work, looks at how staff and students can work together to support each other during the menopause.

As we celebrate International Women’s Day let’s talk, create allyship and conducive spaces that support menopause in the academe. Let’s remember the 25 million plus women* enter the menopause stage across the globe each year, and within our University.

The Wellbeing of Women Charity in the United Kingdom estimates that around 13 million people in the UK are currently peri or menopausal which is equivalent to a third of the entire UK female population.

According to Advance HE (2020) women outnumber men in the UK higher education workforce by 54.6% to 45.4%. 25.2% of this workforce are women between 46 and 55. With the academe hosting significant number of both female staff and students, talking, and responding to the impact of menopause should be high on our agenda.

There is pressure from different societies and cultures over the menopausal experience and symptoms. Research shows how women who live in environments that negatively perceive menopause experience have stronger physical and mental health symptoms in comparison to countries and societies that believe that menopause is a beautiful time of change.

Supporting and listening to students and staff, creating safe and practical spaces will not only benefit and value those going through menopause but will provide endless benefits in the academy.

Talking about menopause symptoms and the impact on those affected in the workplace and wider academe with students can be very challenging or frowned upon sometimes. This can leave most women or those affected feeling, anxious, alienated, and unsupported in the work environment, by their line managers or for students unsupported in the classroom and work placement environment. In particular menopause should be understood in the context of different cultures and societies across the globe.

To understand women’s experiences through the menopause stages, there is a need to understand symptoms in a broader psychological and social context. Including the variations and how different women are affected or respond to the menopause symptoms. Studies also demonstrates the cultural variations in the reporting of menopause symptoms within global majority communities in the United Kingdom.

It’s important to bear in mind that menopause symptoms are not a uniform experience.  Women experience a wide range of physical and psychological transition which includes hot flushes, brain fog, night sweats, changes in menstrual flow and regularity and depression. The impact of these symptoms are real and can impact women in the workplace and students in different ways leading to productivity or lack of it depending on the nature of institutional support and reasonable adjustments that might be required.

A menopause policy and guidance that is informed by both staff and students in the academe indicates how an institution gives staff and students the recognition they deserve while working to end discrimination, myths and taboo surrounding menopause.

*I’m mindful that it’s not just cis women who experience menopause and that we should get used to saying people in menopause including everyone who experiences it.

Find out more about the University’s menopause guidance.

Edith Lewis is a Principal Lecturer Social Work in the School of Allied and Public Health Professions.