Since Davina McColl put the subject of menopause firmly on the map, it has been great to see and hear how this has progressed to being a much less taboo subject. Have you, however, thought about the impact that menopause symptoms have on women (including transgender and non-binary*) in their workplaces?
Menopause occurs due to a decrease in the hormones oestrogen and progesterone. This ultimately results in periods stopping. However, the reduction in hormones can cause many symptoms, some of which can severely impact. Symptoms include hot flashes, palpitations, anxiety, brain fog, joint stiffness, to name but a few. Existing research tells us that 1 in 10 women leave the workplace (Fawcett Society, 2022). Those who remain in the workplace can experience difficulty in concentrating, decision-making can be negatively impacted as well as a loss of confidence. These and the many other symptoms of menopause (there are around 40), can mean that their day-to-day working lives are severely impacted.
Within the School of Psychology at the University of Aberdeen, we want women to choose to remain in the workplace because they feel they are heard, understood and supported. The intention of this current research project, led by Linda Engles from the School of Psychology, is to engage with women who are experiencing symptoms of menopause or perimenopause (which is the stage before menopause where symptoms tend to be high), understand their experiences and use that data to inform a toolkit with resources to educate and support them and line managers.
The first step will be to screen for potential participants by sending out a questionnaire to all staff at the University of Aberdeen. Those who are eligible will then be invited to attend a focus group which intends to drill down into understanding their experiences of menopause at work, their feelings towards how they have been supported and to evaluate what resources and support have been helpful and which have been less so. This information will then be used to design a psychologically informed toolkit which will be piloted across the university and with external stakeholders.
The University of Aberdeen is committed to achieving social inclusion and cultural diversity as part of Aberdeen 2040, therefore, we see this research as an important step in meeting these commitments. We want women to remain in the workplace during this extremely challenge life period and have the support of the university in ensuring the talent, knowledge and skills of menopausal women are retained.
* the word woman or women is used, it does include transgender men and those who identify as non-binary.
Linda Engles C.Psychol (Occ. Psy.), School of Psychology
