How Hormones Influence Being a Woman in the Workplace

Workplace wellness for women generally focuses on maternity support, but there’s a critical gap in care for women who continue working in their 30s, 40s, and 50s.

Around half of the current workforce in the US and UK are women, and research shows 1 in 10 women will stop working because their hormonal symptoms have become too debilitating.

Without little workplace support in place, this culture leaves many women — understandably so — feeling uncomfortable talking to their employers about their health and wellness. It’s clear that the future of work is placing a high priority on wellness initiatives, and it’s so important to make sure women’s needs are an active part of these programs.

Let’s talk about the role your hormones play as a woman in the workplace and what’s being done to protect working women at every age and stage.

Read on about workplace wellness during pregnancy and postpartum over at Baby2Body.

Did you know that 3 in every 5 women are negatively affected at work during perimenopause?

Every day around 6,000 women in the United States reach menopause, on average at 51 years old. Up to 85% of women experience at least one symptom during perimenopause, and some women can spend 10 years or more experiencing symptoms of hormonal fluctuations.

One survey found that on the day women take off for symptoms relating to hormonal fluctuations, about half of them don’t feel comfortable sharing the real reason with their employer. That’s why understanding your rights and how you can best support your needs can make all the difference. Let’s talk about what it means to be a ‘woman in the workplace’, then vs now.

What it means to be a woman in the workplace

Women have endlessly fought for their rights in all areas of life and have been able to achieve some incredible things when it comes to workplace support, such as paid maternity leave, miscarriage support, and more. But these are only a few of the pieces that make up the women’s health and wellness puzzle.

One of those pieces is simply, age. As we get older and leave our reproductive years, things like maternity leave might not apply to our situation anymore, but that doesn’t mean female-specific support isn’t needed in the workplace. There have been massive developments made for women’s rights in the last two decades, and legal actions have been a driving force behind this movement. But there’s still a long way to go. 

Unfortunately, we can’t ignore statistics like this one: nearly 900,000 women in the UK lost or left their employment due to menopausal symptoms, according to a 2019 survey jointly conducted by BUPA and CIPD. The good news is, there is progress being made in this space helping to change that narrative.

Strides in the legal world

The UK government recently did not agree to special protection for women experiencing menopausal symptoms under the 2010 Equality Act, which the UK parliament’s Women and Equalities Committee included in their recommendations. However, the good news is the government did agree to flexible working requests, as well as improving the request process to make it easier to use and harder for employers to refuse.

The US on the other hand is still lagging behind the UK in terms of adequate protection and support for aging women in the workforce. There was a particularly prominent case from 2019, Mullen v. New Balance Athletics describing a thirty-five-year-old woman who went into menopause following a hysterectomy. After an “outburst”, she claimed was prompted by menopausal symptoms and hormonal changes, she was forced to resign. Her age and her symptoms being brought on by a hysterectomy were highly emphasized by the court. They framed Mullen's impairment as signs of menopause, rather than distinguishing her condition from that of a woman going through menopause as a result of normal aging. While some may be protected if menopause was caused early due to a preemptive medical condition, if there were any other underlying symptoms present (which most of us have) they wouldn’t be protected at all.

In the US, organizations like the National Menopause Foundation are working hard to change stigmas surrounding hormonal changes and give women the support they deserve in these situations.

How to advocate for yourself in the workplace

Figuring out how or when (and with whom) to speak up and get support at work can be tricky. The first step towards more progress is being your own advocate, and if you ever feel like you don’t know where to turn, here are some steps to help ensure you have the adequate tools you need to live (and work) your best:

• Talk to someone that makes you feel comfortable. This might be a supervisor or human resources person, but it’s someone who will make you feel safe, supported, and heard. 

• Ask yourself, what would help me the most right now? If it’s switching up your hours, the number of breaks during a day, work location (possibly a remote or hybrid option), or access to certain facilities – identify those ahead of time! Outline how they would be of use to you and ask your employer if these are an option and lift some of that weight off your shoulders. 

• Join the movement! If you believe your workplace needs are not being recognized or addressed, seek guidance from employee support or advocacy organizations like Menopause Matters UK, North American Menopause Society, and British Menopause Society. Find more online support communities here!

• Share resources. If your employer doesn’t have menopause support or training in place, the British Menopause Society has a great resource here.

• Reach out to us! MBody is working with corporates to provide our app experience as part of women’s wellness packages. If you’d like to nominate or represent your business in this regard, please email us at team@mbody.health.

Hormonal fluctuations are a natural part of being a woman. We want you to see those hormones as your superpower and teach you how to unlock your best potential and live the life you want to at any stage. Let’s break down secrecy and symptom-shaming that happens at work and start looking at all life stages with understanding and kindness, just as we look at other stages of a woman’s life.

Do you feel like your ever-changing health needs are supported at work? How comfortable do you feel talking to your about hormonal symptoms? Let us know in the comments below and be sure to follow us on Instagram to stay up to date on all of the latest research and hormonal health trends.