World Menopause Day Debate
Full Debate: Read Full DebateDepartment: Department for Work and Pensions
Allison Gardner
Main Page: Allison Gardner (Labour - Stoke-on-Trent South)Department Debates - View all Allison Gardner's debates with the Department for Work and Pensions
(1 day, 18 hours ago)
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Ms Julie Minns (Carlisle) (Lab)
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Betts. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Neath and Swansea East (Carolyn Harris) for securing this incredibly important debate and speaking with the passion and verve that we have come to expect of her.
Menopause, as I am sure we will hear time and again this afternoon, affects millions of women, but is still too often overlooked in the workplace. My menopause workplace story is sadly similar to that experienced by far too many women. While working a stressful job and juggling family and the care needs of elderly relatives, I failed to recognise that my burnout was not a sudden inability to do my job, but my body going through a profound and overwhelming change. The response from a senior director not only was brutal, but showed a complete lack of awareness, let alone understanding:
“I used to think you were really good at your job, but you have changed.”
I had changed—but I did not realise the change that my body was going through.
Menopause is a natural phase of our lives, yet for many it comes with symptoms that can be physically and emotionally challenging: hot flushes, fatigue, brain fog, anxiety and more. Those are not just personal health issues; they can, as I found, impact performance, confidence and wellbeing at work.
Dr Allison Gardner (Stoke-on-Trent South) (Lab)
Will my hon. Friend join me in acknowledging the impact of menopause-related urinary tract infections on women’s quality of life and ability to work? Does she agree that we must do more to acknowledge that aspect of menopause and educate GPs and the workforce?