In May 2023, The New York Times published an article that surprised and excited us:Some companies in Britain were implementing initiatives to make their workplaces menopause friendly. A movement that seemed almost science fiction, but is now a reality. More than 50 organizations in that country, including HSBC UK, Unilever UK and West Ham United football club, have been certified as “favorable to menopause”through an accreditation developed by Henpicked, a vocational training company. This certification is not just a decoration of good intentions: it includes concrete supportive policies, such as flexible schedules, symptom training, and workplace accommodations.
<img alt="The cost of menopause for women at work” src=”https://www.latercera.com/resizer/v2/XW3TZXOQANFDHPRFQAMO57S7ZU.jpg?quality=75&smart=true&auth=79c14429f86a32465e2f2a22f836c87bf55134e5259924d6258350c655d6dc6e&width=100&height=70″ width=”100″ height=”70″ loading=”lazy”/>
The impact has been notable. According to a 2023 survey, three in ten workplaces in Britain already have menopause-related policies. And it doesn’t stop there: the British Parliament, after several hearings on the issue, is pushing for these policies to be expanded and made even more widespread.
The most striking thing about this initiative is that it has crossed the Atlantic. In New York, Mayor Eric Adams announced in early 2023 that his administration would commit to “changing the stigma around menopause” and creating more favorable workplaces for women at this stage of life. What started as a timid conversation is gaining momentum as a movement to retain women in the workplace, especially at times when their experience and knowledge are more valuable than ever.
In Chile, neither Parliament nor the mayors have put the issue on the table, and that is problematic. Because menopause is not just a personal matter, it is collective.
Menopausal symptoms are a real barrier for many women in the workplace, just when they are ready to take on leadership roles. How many women with decades of experience have felt like their careers are interrupted by something no one talks about? A 2021 survey by the Mayo Clinic found that about 10% of women ages 45 to 60 in the United States took time off in the past year due to menopausal symptoms, costing employers about $1.8. billion dollars.
Organizations lose valuable talent because they are not prepared to support women at this stage of their lives.
Let’s start talking about menopause in the spaces where we work. This issue is not a whim or a marginal issue. It affects productivity, mental health and gender equality. By not addressing it, we are perpetuating a system that punishes women for aging, rather than supporting them so they can continue to contribute to their full potential.
In Chile we cannot continue allowing women to go through this stage in silence, feeling alone and without the support they deserve. We need employers, unions and legislators to join this movement. Because menopause should not be seen as a “trip” in women’s careers.but as another phase of life, one that must be lived with dignity and support.
Menopause is part of our life, of our identity, and must be respected in all spaces, especially in the workplace where we spend a large part of the day. Because, in the end, understanding menopause is knowing ourselves. And that is something everyone, from Parliament to the smallest offices, should understand.
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* Viviana González, Paula Olmedo and Nicoletta Pranzini. Authors of Meno es +, for an informed and accompanied menopause
