Menopause isn’t just a women’s issue, it’s an economic and social issue | Jess Adamson

Women in their prime, and their partners, have been suffering for too long, writes Jess Adamson.

One day last year a friend of mine woke up and filed for a divorce, online.

It came as quite a shock to her husband. Despite the usual challenges of juggling work and young children, he thought things had been ticking along nicely.

He tried to reason with her, but my friend was adamant. Everything he did annoyed her, especially breathing. The paperwork was submitted and two decades of wedded bliss was all but over.

Until she told her friends what she’d done. They quietly booked her into a women’s health GP and a few days later, the HRT patches were on and the divorce was off.

Menopause can be brutal.

When it hits you can’t ignore it. Fatigue, insomnia, mood swings, hot flushes, night sweats, nausea and brain fog.

It affects half of our population and yet the stigma surrounding it means it’s not discussed, except between friends who ask each other why the hell no-one warned them about it.

Perimenopause, the transition stage, is a secret club that no one wants to be a member of. It’s often a hive of misinformation, misdiagnosis and missed opportunities for treatment.

So why does it matter when millions of women have been dealing with “The Change” without a fuss for generations?

Because it’s 2024, not 1924 and it affects everyone. Partners, parents, children and colleagues.

And because menopausal women are the fastest growing demographic in the workplace, yet a huge proportion are struggling to perform at their peak.

Managing Director of Bespoke HR Paulette Kolarz. Picture: Supplied

According to the ABS, the female labour force participation rate in South Australia last year was 60.4 per cent, the second lowest nationally.

At a time when the world is trying to increase female roles in leadership, many are dropping out of the workforce altogether because they feel like they’re letting the team down.

The Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees estimates menopause costs women between $17 and $35 billion in lost earnings and superannuation.

That hurts.

Managing Director of Bespoke HR Paulette Kolarz says it’s time to put it on every company’s HR agenda.

“There needs to be greater understanding, empathy and support, not rolling your eyes when she’s fanning herself in a meeting,” Paulette says.

“Menopause impacts sleep, concentration, memory and confidence. Brain fog contributes to impostor syndrome and that’s what’s putting women out of the game.”

This isn’t an easy issue for employers to deal with.

They’re already carefully stepping through a complex swath of issues with staff – mental health, diversity, gender identity and domestic violence.

The last thing they want to do is add another set of benefits, especially for an issue we don’t truly understand.

Yet inaction will be even more costly, particularly now, when we need all hands on deck.

Encouragingly, there is some movement in this space.

SkyCity Adelaide employs 525 women. They’ve recently introduced a Menopause Toolkit, promoting awareness around women’s health in a bid to normalise the conversation.

The move encourages open discussions around wellness and empowers managers, male or female, to support their team members.

Giving women the confidence to “own up” to why they might not be performing at their peak is a better result for everyone, a happier and healthier workplace.

A Senate inquiry is underway into Issues related to Perimenopause and Menopause. Submissions close next week.

The inquiry is probing the economic consequences of reduced workforce participation for women as well as the physical, mental and emotional effects.

Laura McCarthy from Clare Valley. Picture: Supplied

It’s also examining the level of awareness our medical professionals have of the symptoms and that’s where 42-year-old mother of two Laura McCarthy, who recently approached me about the issue, comes in.

Laura is the partner of a sixth generation farmer in the Clare Valley.

She recently sought help for perimenopause but was turned away. She was told she was too young and didn’t meet the criteria for HRT.

“I felt really ashamed. I felt like I asked for something I wasn’t entitled to,” she says.

“I resigned myself to the fact I had to take time off work and drive to Adelaide to get help.”

She’s not the only rural woman travelling hundreds of kilometres for care simply because many regional GPs aren’t up to date with the latest support available.

Too many are being sent away with antidepressants and other bandaid solutions; others are suffering in silence.

Laura’s concerned it could have a devastating effect on rural communities.

“The lack of access to appropriate health support for perimenopausal women not only affects women and their families, but also has broader implications for the health and vitality of regional communities,” she says.

“There is only one GP outside of metro Adelaide registered with the Australasian Menopause Society.”

All Australians deserve quality, accessible healthcare no matter where they choose to live or work.

And as we wait for the findings of the Senate inquiry, let’s remember menopause isn’t just a women’s issue.

It’s an economic and social issue that must be talked about openly for the benefit of all.

Women in their prime, and their partners, have been suffering for too long.

It’s time to change The Change.