DISABILITY HISTORY MONTH RUNS FROM 16 NOVEMBER TO 16 DECEMBER 2022.
For our first week of articles that spotlight disability issues, we focus on menopause.
IMPACT OF MENOPAUSE ON BUSINESS
The menopause has a significant impact on working lives. Research led by the Fawcett Society and Channel 4 found that 10% of women have left work due to menopause symptoms. Businesses are further impacted, as the research also found that of those women experiencing menopause, 14% reduced their hours at work, 14% switched to part-time work and 8% had not applied for a promotion due to their symptoms. It's important to note that non-binary individuals and members of the transgender community can also experience menopause.
Menopause is the focus and term used in this article, but there may be similar impacts on the working lives of those experiencing perimenopause and postmenopause.
EQUALITY LEGISLATION PROTECTION
The Equality Act 2010 protects employees and workers from discrimination on the basis of protected characteristics. At present, protection is not specifically provided for menopause. However, those experiencing menopause may be protected from discrimination on the basis of other characteristics protected under the Equality Act 2010 such as sex, age and disability.
Case law has established that the symptoms of menopause can amount to a disability in certain cases. For example, in the Employment Appeal Tribunal case of Ms M Rooney v Leicester City Council, it was found that an...
During August 2026, a series of misleading, fabricated and falsely contextualised claims circulated across social media platforms and media accounts in Bharat. The claims covered electoral rolls, ...