November 2024 Your Bumper Roundup from Menopause Awareness Month!

As another busy menopause awareness month recedes into the background with the Halloween decor, this is your annual reminder that our work is not ‘done’ until this time next year.

Our symptoms don’t poof ?magically disappear on the stroke of midnight on 31st October…

For many organizations World Menopause Day this year will have been the touchpaper to ignite their own journey supporting colleagues going through the menopause transition.

Wherever your organization is along that path, we have something to help and support you, whether that is:

• free resources;
• awareness sessions;
• Ask the GP sessions;
• manager training;
• or our Making SENSE of Menopause webinar series that unpacks the lifestyle changes that can support a healthier, happier transition through our perimenopausal years and into post-menopause (when our risk profiles for cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and metabolic health issues change).

Strap in for a bumper round up of this year’s crop of research reports into both menopause in the workplace and gender diversity, starting with…

Carrot Fertility’s survey of 2,000 women across Millennial and Gen x populations which put the spotlight on some interesting differences (and similarities) in terms of how these demographics think about menopause…

• According to their research, 70% of millennial women would consider shifting their work arrangements in at least one key way — reducing hours, moving from a full-time to part-time role, changing jobs, or retiring early — to mitigate the impact of menopause compared?to 55% of Gen X women who reported considering shifting their work arrangements while going through menopause.?
• Additionally, while 74% of Gen Xers report at least one major way menopause has interfered with their careers, 89% of millennials believe they will have to cope with disruption.?
• Both Millennials (59%) and Gen Xers (55%) were in agreement that menopause is not discussed in the workplace as often as it should be. Still, 50% of millennials and 48% of Gen Xers consider it a taboo topic in the workplace, with only 47% of millennial women and 42% of Gen Xers saying they would feel comfortable asking their employer to address menopause challenges.

This report on The Anxious Millennopause by Wrapp Consulting had a much smaller sample size, but highlighted just how much the negativity in menopause narrative has impacted Millennials: 87% were anxious about how menopause would impact their mental health and 38% were concerned about how it would impact their careers.?

Meanwhile Forbes has been publishing some great articles on menopause in the workplace recently, including this one on how to be a male ally.?

“While 77% of men report doing “everything they can” to support gender equality at work, only 41% of women agree that their male colleagues are stepping up, according to Equimundo research.? “The easiest way for men to be allies at work is to ask women what they want or need and then work to make those a reality,” said Bradley Schurman, Founder and CEO of Human Change.

Encouraging more women to stay economically active and narrowing the wage gap could boost the global economy by 7%, equating to around $7 trillion, according to Moody's Analytics.”

This report by the NHS Confederation revealed that unemployment due to menopause symptoms has a direct economic impact of approximately ￡1.5 billion per annum with approximately 60,000 women in the UK not being in employment due to menopause symptoms.

Here on LinkedIn, Lou Furby from Specsavers shared five fantastic tips if you are thinking about starting a workplace menopause?network:

? 1. Keep it simple and achievable - small changes make a big difference

??? 2. Get help from industry experts - choose a team that’s right for your brand

??? 3. Communicate - everywhere! Use all the platforms available to you and keep the drumbeat going

?? 4. Build support for your network - engage with senior leaders and your D&I team

?? 5. Listen to your network members - let them guide you, they will be your compass?

On World Menopause Day, I was delighted to attend the first Equity in Menopause Festival, and shared my take aways here, here, here and here.?

More than Menopause...

More broadly, in the gender equity space, I attended the Women in Work Summit in London - hosted by Nighat Arif . Key takeaways from this event included:?

?? FTSE companies with no women on their ExCo have a net profit of 1.5%, whereas those with more than one in three women at that level reach a 15.2% net profit margin.

?? It will take 163 years to close the global gender pay gap, at current rates of progress, according to the World Economic Forum.

?? A loyal employee is 20 times more valuable than the cost of recruiting a new employee, according to The Female Lead.

?? Mothers earn 5% to 10% less per child they have, and on average, it takes over a decade for women to return to their pre-maternity salaries, says the Office for National Statistics.

?? About 91% of women with children spend at least an hour per day on housework, compared with 30% of men with children.

?? Despite women living longer, we also spend 25% more time in poor health than men. McKinsey estimates closing the gender health gap would create a $1 trillion economic boost by 2040.

?? 74% of women had been caught short without period products in the workplace - we aren’t expected to pay for loo rolls, so why shouldn’t we expect free period products at work too?

?? 86% of us will gain a disability during our working life, and we also need to be designing workplaces to work for women, neurodiverse individuals, and an aging work population

Their new Gender Equity Measure report was launched at the event - you can access a copy here: https://www.womeninworkgroup.com/read-the-2024-report?

At around the same time, e.l.f. Beauty published a report which shows that companies with genuine diversity in their boards have:

?? 15% higher return on equity

?? 50% reduction in earnings risk

?? Better price-to-earnings ratios

?? Fewer lawsuits if they have 3 or more women and/or minorities on the board

Their ‘Change the Board Game’ initiative is based on their belief that e.l.f. Beauty’s own success in delivering 22 quarters of consecutive growth is in part drawn from its diverse board, executive team and employee base. They are the only publicly traded company in the U.S. out of approximately 4,100 with a board of directors that is 78% women and 44% diverse.?

Recognizing that putting more diversity in seats of power will require the partnership of other companies, e.l.f. Beauty’s goal is to help double the rate at which women and people of color are added to the boards of directors of U.S.-based, publicly traded companies by 2027. Helpfully, they are making their research data available to academics and journalists that wish to make use of it.?

Phew! What a whirlwind month it has been.

This month marks four years since I recorded my first ever episode of the Middling Along Podcast - watch out for our 100th episode, dropping later on this week!