The focus of this year’s International Women’s Day was on breaking biases and creating a world that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive. One of this year’s missions for the day was to forge inclusive work cultures where women's careers thrive, and their achievements are celebrated. In acknowledgement of this, employment solicitor Kate Brown gives a short summary of some of the key legal developments for women in the workplace in 2021-2022. Given the breadth of this area, Kate looks specifically at the issues of menopause and equal pay.
In their 2022 report, The Women and Equalities Committee stated that around 31% of women have missed work because of symptoms relating to the menopause. However, only 11% of the survey participants (2,161 women) had asked their employer for workplace adjustments. Almost 20% of survey participants were unclear as to who they should speak to about adjustments at work.
Menopause is a fast-developing issue in employment law, and employers are becoming increasingly aware of the need to support their female employees. The growing acknowledgement of the impact of menopause in the workplace can be seen in the Employment Tribunal.
Although menopause is not itself a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010 (EqA), a claimant may be able to utilise the heads of disability, age and sex to establish protection under the act. For example, the Employment Appeal Tribunal found in the 2021 case of Rooney v Leicester City Council that...
Ukrainian General Staff spokesperson Andriy Kovalov dismissed Russian military chief Valery Gerasimov's claims of advances toward Kramatorsk and Zaporizhzhia and the capture of several settlements...