Andrea Berchowitz The link between menopause and gender inequity at work TED
Transcriber:
Of America’s 500 largest companies,
only 42 have female CEOs.
And if you look at other countries,
the data is similar,
and in some cases, worse.
And, of course,
there are a number of factors
contributing to global gender
inequity in the workplace.
But I believe that there is one factor
often underecognized,
and that’s menopause.
So what do I mean?
Many women will rise into
senior positions of leadership
in their 40s or their 50s.
The average age of a CEO is mid-50s.
Perimenopause, or the transition
into menopause,
generally occurs also between 45 and 55.
And this is where
the symptoms really start,
and it can last up to 10 years.
So just as a woman is stepping up,
taking the reins,
earning at her highest potential,
her body can feel like it’s betraying her.
Now, for anyone who doesn’t know,
which turns out to be many of us –
for me, I had my first conversation
with my own mother about menopause
in the last few years –
it’s a big deal.
And it’s not just a big deal
for women over 45.
Nonbinary, transmasculine
and younger women
may all cope with menopausal symptoms.
So what are these symptoms?
They can be physical,
so that’s hot flushes, joint pain,
urinary incontinence, heavy periods.
They can also be mental:
anxiety, depression,
bouts of low confidence,
difficulty sleeping.
Imagine that –
10 years of difficulty sleeping.
The list is long and symptoms can change,
so it means you never really
know what to expect.
But make no mistake:
they are significant.
So significant, that in a study
by Vodafone across five countries,
it found that 60 percent of women dealing
with menopausal symptoms
said it impacted their work.
In another study in the UK,
30 percent of women said they missed work
due to their symptoms.
And at the extremes, women are making
serious choices about their careers.
As many as 11 percent forewent
a promotion opportunity,
and as many as eight percent resigned
from their positions
because of menopausal symptoms.
My fascination with female leadership
and the obvious gap
began as a strategy consultant
working in boardrooms around the world.
In over 10 years, I can count on one hand
the number of senior women over 50
in executive positions that I saw,
whether it was Seattle or Dubai,
Lagos or upstate New York,
women were scarce at the top.
I started to look around and question
the system I was in,
wonder what opportunities really existed.
The women at the top were exceptional.
The bar seemed almost too high to reach.
And so I started speaking to my friends
and colleagues in their 40s and 50s.
They talked about things I knew:
balancing a serious job, teenagers
and caring for elderly parents.
But in a few instances,
close friends opened up.
They talked about how their bodies
and their minds were changing
and the impact of menopause
on many aspects of their lives,
including work.
It was at that point that I realized
if I wanted to make a difference
to women in the workplace
so we can all work as long as we want to,
it was to improve menopause care.
I believe the workplace
can play a major role
in improving the experience for women
coping with menopausal symptoms.
And it might sound cliché,
but it does start with awareness.
And then it means changing
the physical setup of our offices,
resetting expectations around work culture
and updating health care policies.
So, first: awareness.
Since we learn virtually nothing
about menopause in school,
in the news, in pop culture,
it’s impossible to expect that even
the most well-intentioned manager
would have a clue how to be supportive.
So many societies place so much pressure
on women to appear young and happy
and vibrant all of the time.
All that effort put towards pretending
that you’re not going through
a natural process of aging
is a complete waste of time.
Meanwhile, a day in the life
of a peri- or postmenopausal woman
could be running to the bathroom
to wait out a hot flush,
looking for paper towels for perspiration
that came out of nowhere
when everyone else was freezing,
skipping a meeting
or sending someone else,
because a wave of anxiety made you feel
like you couldn’t cope
or skipping a business trip altogether,
because heavy periods made leaving
home virtually impossible.
One way to raise awareness is to bring
the discussion right into the workplace.
Many companies already
offer training programs
on things like diversity and inclusion,
anti-harassment,
conversations on mental health
or parental leave.
Let’s normalize conversation on menopause,
inviting people of all
genders and all ages
to understand what’s happening
in this natural process of aging,
so people can learn how to be supportive.
Next is the physical setup
and expectations around work culture.
For example, open-plan offices
are a disaster for so many reasons,
not being able to control the temperature,
having no doors to close
when you’re having a hot flush
or need a moment to regroup.
And, of course, you can’t change
an entire floor plan overnight.
But there probably are some
things you can do,
whether that’s desk fans,
availability of period products,
letting someone move their desk
from closest to the radiator
or having a few rooms
with a few doors that you can close
if you need a moment to regroup
are all good ideas.
In situations where women
wear uniforms at work,
updating the cut to a thinner fabric,
making it more breathable
or even sweat-wicking
can make a huge difference
to a woman’s comfort,
as well as having a few extra around,
if a quick change is required
during the day.
For employees who can work remotely,
you can make it easier by giving examples
of things to say to a manager
when symptoms are out of control.
For example, “I’m having a really
tough day due to my symptoms,
and it’s making it difficult for me
to perform at my best in the office.”
In cases where that’s not possible,
being able to say things like,
“I need to take a few more frequent
breaks today rather than one long break,”
or “Hold on a second –
I’m having a hot flush.”
I truly believe that more openness
about this topic,
as well as leniency from an office
around scheduling or more frequent breaks
will make a huge difference
to retaining women
and getting them over that next
promotion hurdle.
And then there’s health care,
which is perhaps the most important.
In many cases,
a workplace will provide in-part
or in-full health care to its employees.
So there’s an opportunity
to include menopause directly.
It can benefit a woman
to have access to real information
about what treatment options are available
and what doctors or specialists
she may want to see,
whether that’s gynecologists,
endocrinologists,
pelvic floor physios
or talk therapists.
Menopause is a highly complex
and individualized situation,
and having access to high-quality
health care providers
that can talk you through
your treatment options
and help you figure out
what you want to do
is critical.
In many cases, insurance does cover this,
or national health systems
do have this available,
but it can be hard to navigate,
and all of the symptoms make finding
the right doctor time-consuming
and energy-draining.
Just as we have health care resources
for what to expect when you’re having
a child and how to be a great parent,
we need better health care resources
for what to expect in perimenopause
and support through the entire transition.
Every workplace is different,
and not all companies will have the same
approach to becoming menopause friendly.
But at the very least,
increasing awareness and demonstrating
some real empathy can be low-cost.
Just this year, we’ve heard several
corporations make announcements
about boosting female leadership
at the top – and that’s great.
And it will take a lot of coordinated
efforts to get there.
But what’s the first step?
Getting serious about menopause.
Thank you.