Peri and menopause training founder and TV journalist Shelly Horton has hit back at calls for businesses to introduce menopause leave.
Ahead of her keynote address at the Women in Finance Summit 2024, Horton, the TV journalist and founder of Don’t Sweat It, has said that menopause leave and menstrual leave are not the same things and that menopause leave is not effective.
Her comments come in the wake of the Finance Sector Union calling on the finance sector to introduce 12 days’ paid menstrual and menopause leave to better support women.
Other unions at a recent Senate inquiry into Issues related to menopause and perimenopause called for 10 days of paid reproductive health and wellbeing leave for women. Some have also called for menopause or perimenopause to be included in the National Employment Standards to enable workers to take time off and manage reproductive health issues and remain in the workforce.
However, Horton has said she disagrees with the union’s proposal because research from Don’t Sweat It has revealed that menopause leave is ineffective for workers.
“Menopause sticks around for 365 days a year. It’s not cyclical the way that a period would be,” she said.
“I completely support menstrual leave and time off for women with endometriosis but menopause is different.”
Instead, Horton said she believes workplaces should provide education, support, and menopause mentors, similar to mental health first aid officers.
“We’re not asking people to be doctors or psychiatrists. We’re just asking them to increase their knowledge around this so they can help people through the process and provide evidence-based assistance,” she said.
Alongside this, workplaces could implement simple measures like ensuring that women have access to air conditioning, temperature control, and uniforms made from breathable fabrics to reduce hot flashes.
“If you have hot flashes, wearing a nylon uniform and stockings can make you feel like you’re on fire,” Horton said.
The economic consequences of menopause and perimenopause – including but not limited to reduced workforce, participation, productivity, and retirement planning – have been a talking point in Parliament recently, with a Senate inquiry into the Issues related to menopause and perimenopause having submitted its final report on Tuesday (17 September).
While the final report had not been released at the time of writing, the inquiry also examined the level of awareness among employers and workers of the symptoms of menopause and perimenopause and the availability and usage of workplace supports, as well as the physical health impacts of menopause and perimenopause.
In addition, the inquiry investigated how other jurisdictions support individuals experiencing menopause and perimenopause from a health and workplace policy perspective.
Horton said she participated in the first parliamentary roundtable about perimenopause and menopause in May 2023.
“Can you believe that that was the first time that the word menopause was even said in Australian Parliament?” she said.
“That roundtable was part of the reason why they did a Senate inquiry into menopause.”
Raising awareness in the workplace is critical because of the significant impacts of perimenopause and menopause on a woman’s career.
For example, a late 2023 survey of over 2,000 working women aged 40–60 by UK workplace healthcare provider Simplyhealth revealed that 23 per cent of women considered resigning due to the impact of menopause while 14 per cent are actively planning to quit.
Meanwhile, in detailed estimates provided in its pre-budget submission for 2023–24, the Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees (AIST) said that menopause could currently be costing Australian women a collective loss of $15.2 billion in foregone income and super for every year of early retirement.
Over an average of 7.4 years of missed earnings opportunity, this totals an economic loss of $112.2 billion, it said.
The Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA) found that women who are unable to continue working during menopause and are forced to retire around five years earlier are potentially foregoing an estimated $60,000 in lost savings.
Horton has said that more needs to be done to better understand and support women’s health in the workplace.
During her keynote address at the summit, Horton will share her experiences with perimenopause and menopause, outline what the government is doing to better understand these issues, and push women to advocate their health to ensure they are receiving effective treatment and can continue to thrive in the workplace.
To hear more from Shelly Horton about how to manage menopause in the workplace and how employers could help, come along to the Women in Finance Summit 2024.
It will be held on Friday, 15 November at The Star, Sydney.
Click here to book your tickets and don’t miss out!
For more information, including agenda and speakers, click here.
This summit is produced by Captivate Events. If you need help planning your next event, email director Jim Hall at [email protected]
This article originally appeared on The Adviser.
