Why education needs to break the menopause taboo: (The Learnit Memo 06/05/22)

Dear global education leader,

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At 51, Kate Muir had a successful career as a full-time film critic, three kids and a husband. “I thought I was capable of coping with anything,” she writes in the foreward to her new book*. But then, suddenly, she wasn’t. For seemingly no reason, she was plagued by rage, self doubt and a sense that things were falling apart. In no particular order, she recalls throwing at the wall: 1) a butternut squash 2) Nigella Christmas 3) broccoli 4) a full butter dish and 5) a pot of blue poster paint.?

The cause of Muir’s misery was menopause, or more specifically, perimenopause, the time leading up to one’s period ending, which can last up to 10 years. Ninety percent of women experience symptoms of menopause and perimenopause, which include, but are not limited to, muscle and joint pain, memory problems, anxiety attacks, loss of interest in most things, irritability, dizziness, a racing heart, trouble sleeping, and of course, the one symptom we all know about, hot flashes (or flushes, as they are called in Britain). The peak time for suicide for women is between the ages of 45 to 49; one in ten women leaves their work owing to menopausal symptoms and one survey showed that nine out of 10 women in menopause reported symptoms negatively impacting their work.?

As psychotherapist Susie Orbach writes, “The menopause arrives, seeking out our vulnerabilties like a guided missile, just as we all need all our stretngth to cope with daily life.”

Globally, 60% of the teaching workforce is female. In North America, 88% of teachers in primary schools are women, 65% in secondary schools; in Europe, the figures are almost identical. In England, nearly 20% of teachers are age 50 and above and school leaders are, on average, 50. You can see where I am going here. Supporting women who might be experiencing symptoms related to menopause seems not just humane, but also vital to creating inclusive and safe environments where teachers must be well to work well.?

The question is how. Plenty of women won’t want to talk about menopause at work. We are only now gaining the vocabulary and understanding of human biology to have these conversations with people we love, much less those who are in charge of our employment. But a little humanity, understanding and flexibility will go a long way. ACS International Schools, a group of schools with campuses in the UK and Doha, Qatar, created a women’s health policy that included building awareness about menopause, creating better lines of communication between teachers and managers, and the right for women to request some flexibility if, say, they are in pain or can’t think clearly. At a minimum, have a point person on staff, ideally a woman, who can signpost information about menopause and hormone replacement therapy and offer a compassionate ear.?

Add menopause to the long list of women’s health issues that are taboo, undertreated, and often ignored. I’d wager (with my life) that if the male half of the population hit 50 and a significant share of them struggled to sleep, think, work and have sex, it would be a five-alarm fire. From menstruation to childbirth to menopause, women are routinely expected to endure and keep mum on their misery.?????

Too often, women’s health is ignored, or worse, politicised. Look no further than the US where this week a leaked copy of a draft majority opinion of the Supreme Court decision revealed that five justices had voted to overturn Roe vs Wade, the historical 1973 decision that legalised abortion at the federal level (as a draft opinion, it can change, which may well have propelled the leak). That the US might go backwards on the basic freedom a woman has to choose what to do with her body is a devastating indictment of gender equality and humanity. We should be going the other way, creating the conditions for equality. The floor for that includes a woman’s right to decide if she wants to be a parent, as well as the right to have children and take time off. It also includes helping women manage menopause however they best see fit.?

Stay curious,

Jenny

*Everything you Need to Know about the Menopause (but were too afraid to ask)

Read the full memo here