Heriot-Watt research warns of lack of workplace support amid women's health crisis
A new study has found half of women are affected by menstrual symptoms at work, while just 16 per cent receive any support from their employer.
Led by the Autonomy Institute and the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Caucus (EDICa), a research centre based at Heriot-Watt University, the research analysed polling responses from 1,205 women in the UK.
The poll, carried out by survey specialists Survation, found that the burden falls hardest on younger workers, with 80 per cent of 18 to 24-year-olds and 73 per cent of 25 to 34-year-olds reporting being affected by menstrual symptoms at work.
The findings suggest menstrual and perimenopausal symptoms are among the most prevalent workplace health issues facing female employees – ahead of sleep-related issues and long-term physical conditions – yet employer support is lacking in a large number of cases.
Professor Kate Sang, Principal Investigator of EDICa at Heriot-Watt University, said: “Women’s health has long been neglected, with women suffering often unnecessarily.
“This research shows the negative impact ignoring menstrual health has on women, but also their employers and the wider economy.
“Urgent, evidence based, action is required to enable women to thrive at work, benefitting women’s health and well-being and the national economy.”
The survey found that 50 per cent of women say menstrual symptoms have negatively affected them at work in the past 12 months, while 39 per cent say the same for perimenopause or menopause symptoms.
While 42 per cent have taken time off because of symptoms in the past year, absence understates the true picture.
Some 77 per cent have worked through symptoms on at least one day in the last year, and 44 per cent have done so on more than 10 days.
Dr Will Stronge, Chief Executive at the Autonomy Institute, said: “Half of female employees are being affected by menstrual or menopausal symptoms at work – and the vast majority are simply working through it, unsupported.
“The costs are borne quietly: in lost productivity, in retention, and disproportionately by younger workers and women of colour.
“These are not niche concerns. These are mainstream labour market issues, and the gap between what employees need and what employers provide is striking.
“The solutions are not complicated or expensive – flexible working, manager training, a formal policy. What’s missing is the will to act.”
The findings also suggest a lack of action could be affecting staff retention. Nearly three in 10 (28 per cent) have considered leaving their current job because of menstrual or perimenopausal symptoms, rising among workers in their 30s and 40s and among Black and mixed-ethnicity background respondents.
Asian (64 per cent) and Black (59 per cent) respondents report higher rates of menstrual symptoms affecting work than White respondents (47 per cent), yet are less likely to have access to support.
When asked what would help them work at their best, respondents prioritised practical, low-cost measures: flexible working (40 per cent), greater manager understanding (40 per cent), hybrid or home working (34 per cent), free period products (30 per cent), access to a quiet or rest space (30 per cent), a formal policy (29 per cent) and additional sick leave (29 per cent).
The report’s authors recommend employers adopt a clear, publicised menstrual health and menopause policy, make line-manager training standard practice, treat presenteeism as a workforce risk, make flexible and hybrid working the default where roles allow, and provide free period products and rest spaces.
The report also calls on the UK Government to publish a statutory Acas Code of Practice on menstrual and menopausal health at work, to recognise menopause and severe menstrual health conditions under the Equality Act 2010, and to extend free period product provision to all workplaces with more than 50 employees.
To read the report in full, please visit: https://autonomy.work/portfolio/menstruation-and-perimenopause-at-work/