Are we talking about this enough?
- Lucy Wake
- Feb 1, 2021
- 2 min read
This may not be of interest to you unless:
you are a woman aged over 40
you work with a woman aged over 40, either as a colleague or a client
your boss or anyone you employ is a woman over 40
you have a family member or friend who is a woman over 40
If none of the above apply to you feel free not to read on. If any of the above do apply, then this is definitely for you.
The average female could expect to live to at least 83 years of age and every woman goes through the menopause. The average age that a woman is when she goes through menopause is 51 although perimenopause (the period before menopause and when symptoms first occur) can start 10 years earlier. Perimenopause typically begins less than halfway through the average lifespan.
About 75% of women will experience symptoms caused by the menopause. The length of time that symptoms last varies between individuals but averages about four years and can last up to 15 years.
Women going through the menopause may experience none or any number of the 34 symptoms it can cause. One in four women will experience severe debilitating symptoms.
Almost half of menopausal women say they feel depressed. One in four with menopause symptoms are concerned about their ability to cope with life
Around 75-80% of women of menopausal age are in work. According to Nuffield research 72% of female workers suffering menopausal symptoms say they feel unsupported. Nine out of ten women say they feel unable to talk to managers at work. One in five take time off to deal with menopausal symptoms.
One in ten will quit their work because of their menopause.
Are we talking about this enough? I don’t think so. Let’s have the conversations.
Sources and useful further reading:
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