Thank you, full moon, Greenwich Mean Time, and Mr William Willet’s pamphlet of 1907.
I awoke early with a strong conviction about time. Because it’s about time.
I’m truly delighted to be facilitating a menopause awareness call with over 70 men tomorrow and whilst the title may be menopause the topic is far broader that that. Because this isn’t really about menopause or symptoms or solutions, at least not alone. I may need to change the title.
This isn’t a women’s issue. Women don’t need fixing. Women are perfect, as perfect as men, however we may choose to identify. Simultaneously, we are all work in progress. Our workplaces were designed decades (if not centuries) ago by men, for men. History and workplace demographics provide answers to why. Society’s needs are different, now.
Women aged 45-55 currently form the fastest growing sector of the working population.
However, only 50 years ago more than 90% of working-age men (over 16) were doing so and less than 55% of women. Now the gap has narrowed, and the figure for both men and women are both in the 70s (Office for National Statistics). Time will tell if this trend closes further and the effect this may have on workplaces, management, and leadership demographics. The trend lines could touch or cross if more women are retained in the workplace, and fewer men continue stay in work, in later stages of their careers.
Consider your workplace demographics currently and forecast over the next decade or so. I know employers with huge cohorts of women in the 30-40 age range for whom this will become applicable in the next 10-15 years. If the 1 in 10 women who currently leave owing to menopause experience at work continue to do so, what will that mean for you, personally and professionally?
The question to ask is who needs to be involved in the solution, who needs to know, and for whom is this relevant? The strong recommendation is for awareness, information-sharing and support across the board; recent social campaigns have followed this theme – we are all in this together – and this is no different because inevitably this affects 50% of the population directly and the rest indirectly be they family members, friends, colleagues, managers, or business leaders. Solutions can be inexpensive in comparison to the financial cost of talent loss, replacement and reputation.
Find those individuals who are already ahead of the curve here. Every team or organisation will have one. Ask with curiosity. Encourage and empower them to use their experience, knowledge and passion to grow awareness across your network. We help you do that. Let’s change the hands on this particular clockface. The future will be so much better for it, for us all.