I absolutely recognise that. I made the comment that women face a suite of health issues, and that is one of them.
During my time in office, I am determined to make a real difference to women who need help and support with the menopause. A big part of that is to get people talking about it—to get women talking to other women to share information on what works and what does not, to highlight issues such as the one that Elaine Smith mentioned, to listen to others who face issues and to offer support and reassurance. Some women have told me that they thought that they were losing their mind. We are not alone in that; many women feel the same way. It is case of sharing that lived experience.
However, women telling one another their war stories from a war that only they know about will not change their experience or the experiences of younger women who will face the same battles in the future. That is why it is so important that wider society pays attention, listens to women talk about their experiences and learns from them, whether those women are their partners, family members, employers or health practitioners, which is why I am so pleased to see the work that is being undertaken by elected members, trade union bodies, women’s organisations and even the media.
I know that many members will have seen the coverage broadcast as part of the menopause-themed “BBC Breakfast” programmes last week. They showed the breadth and depth of the issues that are faced by young and older women. We have also had the groundbreaking documentary by Kirsty Wark and the insightful articles by Mandy Rhodes, editor of the Holyrood magazine, who have both opened up about their own experiences, which women have found to be absolutely relatable. They have helped to make the issue and the women who are affected by it visible.
Today’s debate, events such as the menopause festival that I spoke at last month—yes, we had a festival—and the menopause cafes, which were founded by the wonderful Rachel Weiss up in Perth, are vital, because they raise awareness and shine a light on a hidden, taboo subject. We are continuing to build on the momentum that has been started as a result of all that activity, which included the Scottish Women’s Convention’s conference that was held in February. The upcoming festival of ageing that the Scottish Government has funded, which will take place on 23 May—this Thursday—at Glasgow Caledonian University, will continue that public conversation. I am delighted that, because it is aimed at the public as well as delegates, it will extend the reach of the conversation to a much wider audience.
All that awareness-raising work will ensure that the deafening silence around the menopause is no more. Women are reclaiming the airwaves and have grabbed the foghorns. We are all prepared to make ourselves heard as well as seen. It is important to take action because women have the right to be well. The menopause affects women physically and mentally, sometimes to devastating effect. We know that most women go through the menopause between the ages of 48 and 55, that the symptoms can last for more than 10 years and that the average age at which women go through the menopause is 51. However, as I have said, it can happen to some women when they are much younger.
There is also an economic imperative for addressing the impact of the menopause. We all know that our population is ageing. On 3 April, I published “A Fairer Scotland for Older People”, which considers the changes in Scotland’s population demographics. The fact that there has been a 5.5 per cent increase in the employment rate of women aged 50 to 64 since 2008 means that we have more women in the workforce. Given that more than 60 per cent of women between 50 and 64 are in employment, more are now working through and beyond the menopause.
If we add to that the potential impact of Brexit on key areas of our workforce, we can see that it is absolutely essential that we keep our workers, whose skills and experience are so important, in employment for as long as they want to be. That means that we must change the workplace to ensure that it allows us to work flexibly and that employers really understand the needs of their employees. As well as making good business sense, that is the right thing to do. Despite the fact that employment law is reserved to the United Kingdom Government, which limits the actions that we can take, we are finding opportunities to promote the agenda of fair work and workplace equality.
That agenda includes the rights of women experiencing the menopause and I can highlight some progress here. I commend the work of the Scottish Trades Union Congress women’s committee, which, in October 2017, carried out a survey on the menopause in the workplace. The survey investigated the experiences of women, how Scottish employers are responding to the issue and what resources the STUC women’s committee could develop for women in the workplace.
Over 3,000 women participated and the survey found that 99 per cent of respondents either did not have or did not know whether they had a workplace menopause policy; 63 per cent said that the menopause was treated as a joke at work; and 32 per cent said that the menopause was treated negatively in the workplace. The women’s committee is now collating menopause policies and information from affiliate unions and members’ workplaces in order to develop a best practice model for distribution, which is very welcome indeed.
It is also welcome that, due mainly to the work of depute provost and councillor Collette Stevenson, South Lanarkshire Council has now implemented a menopause policy that is supported by all the groups. That policy is now being used by many other employers, including local authorities, as a model for developing their own guidance.
I have made sure that the Government is updating its current menopause policy and providing guidance and support for women and their managers, as we should be leading by example in Government. We had five menopause cafes across Government just a few weeks ago, all of which were oversubscribed. That means that there is a need out there. We are also encouraging all employers, including other public bodies, to update and/or provide menopause awareness training and guidance for their managers.
Our recently published “A fairer Scotland for women: gender pay gap action plan” includes actions to support women affected by the menopause. The action plan sets out our commitment to fund
“a feasibility study for a ‘Centre for Flexible Work’ for Scotland. This Centre, a UK first, would design, test, embed and scale new approaches to increase the availability of quality, flexible work in Scotland.”
We are also funding several projects through the £750,000 workplace equality fund to support the development of age-inclusive workplace practices. In partnership with Impact Funding Partners, we supported a workplace equality fund business-to-business learning event in March to share good practice, including lessons learned on the adoption of more age-inclusive working practices. We are expanding the fund further so that, importantly, it will now seek to encourage projects that provide support to female workers during the menopause.
It is a great list, and I am not finished yet, Presiding Officer. We have also refreshed the gender and diversity element of the Scottish business pledge to give employers access to information and advice on issues such as the menopause, as we know that older women are impacted by the gender pay gap. It is clear that the menopause can be one of the contributing factors to women’s lack of progression and career choices, based on their need to manage their health—both mental and physical.
We are committed to working closely with women’s organisations and trade unions to gain a clearer picture of the issues involved in order to identify other areas where action needs to be taken. I am sure that many members will tell us some of those ideas today and I am looking forward to hearing them.
In conclusion, I will read out the words of Agnes Tolmie, chair of the Scottish Women’s Convention, as she introduced the convention’s menopause survey results earlier this year. Nearly 1,000 women took part in that survey, and they cannot be ignored. She said:
“Menopause covers much more than just a physical transition. It impacts on every aspect of our lives as women, both individually and collectively. We hear about workplace discrimination on a daily basis. But we very rarely hear about this in relation to such a crucial issue as the menopause. This is for a number of reasons”
including stigma, fear of demotion, and fear of being singled out as “too old”. She added:
“These women are carers, they are workers, many are the very backbone of our communities and society. And yet, they are made to feel ostracised by a perfectly normal event that every woman goes through.
What we need is information and understanding from the outset. From pre-menopause to what comes after ... We need to listen to women with direct lived experience. Policymakers and politicians must understand the impacts of the menopause in order to effect change.”
I totally agree with Agnes Tolmie. That is why I am proud to move the motion in my name.
I move,
That the Parliament acknowledges that the menopause has for too long been a taboo subject; agrees that there can often be little understanding of the symptoms of the menopause in wider society; congratulates the STUC Women’s Committee on its 2018 report, Menopause and the Workplace; commends the awareness raising work of Rachel Weiss, who established the Menopause Cafes and annual Menopause Festival, and the Scottish Women’s Convention, which is gathering the experiences of women across Scotland who are saying in their own words that this should no longer be viewed by society as “a women’s issue” and that there is a need to end the stigma of the menopause, and agrees that raising awareness of the menopause will help its impact be better understood and addressed.
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