Talking about menopause in the FE and Skills sector 

In this guest blog, Kirsten Trussell, Menopause lead at the Women’s Leadership Network, discusses how menopause affects the Further Education and Skills workforce and calls for sector-wide leadership to normalise talking about menopause so individuals who are impacted can access the support they need.

Let’s talk about menopause. For some, that’s a welcome invitation. For others, it’s a ‘wish the ground would swallow me up’ moment. As a sector, we must work towards a place where talking about menopause, and more generally about women’s health, is normalised within the context of an inclusive workplace. 

We are at the beginning of that journey in the Further Education (FE) and Skills sector. As with everything, each organisation is on its own journey. Some are further ahead, and others are yet to get started. As we near the end of World Menopause Awareness Month, this is an opportune time to consider what a sector-wide approach to addressing menopause, and wider women’s health, might look like.  

Understanding menopause 

Menopause is the time when menstrual periods permanently stop, marking the end of reproduction. This usually happens between the ages of 45 and 55, although menopause could happen at any time as a result of early menopause or surgical menopause. The period leading up to this is called perimenopause, normally starting in the early forties and it can continue for many years. This is a time of great fluctuations in reproductive hormones, and while everyone will experience menopause differently, most will experience some unpleasant symptoms, and others many more and often debilitating ones. Officially, menopause occurs after 12 months of no periods, at which point you move into post-menopause. Symptoms don’t stop over-night. There is no official end point for symptoms, but for many they settle over time and become less of a rollercoaster.   

The significance of menopause in the FE and Skills sector 

The UK workforce has changed considerably over the last 50 years. Women now make up nearly half of that workforce and in FE that figure is closer to 60% (ETF). Menopausal women are the UK’s fastest growing workforce demographic (ONS), and according to the Faculty of Occupational Medicine, nearly eight out of ten menopausal women are in work.  

There are many symptoms of menopause and any combination of these may physically and mentally affect an individual’s ability to do their job and ultimately cause them to lose confidence in their abilities.  

​Often individuals are reluctant to talk about their menopause symptoms and ask for the support that they need for fear of being judged, humiliated or disregarded. This may lead to a lack of motivation, performance issues and an increase in sickness absence.  

It may ultimately result in talented and experienced individuals leaving their jobs because they cannot get the support that they need. According to the Fawcett Society study of 4,000 women, one in ten women leave the workplace because their employer is unable to accommodate their needs.  

This is untenable in a sector where recruitment of skilled individuals, in particular teaching staff, is an ongoing challenge. It’s a backward step for a sector that has worked hard to increase the representation of women in leadership.  

Bringing about change 

Talking about menopause and wider women’s health issues in the sector has not yet been normalised. The Women’s Leadership Network knows this from its work on the ground. The individuals that we talk to, those directly impacted by menopause, welcome the efforts that their employer is making, but it is often not enough to make them feel comfortable admitting that they are struggling and asking for help. We hear this at all levels, from senior leadership down. 

Real change requires a sector-wide strategic approach by the sector’s leaders. It should form part of a wider focus on diversity and inclusion. An engaged workforce with a sense of belonging will be more open to talking about menopause in the knowledge that there are strategies and policies in place to protect and support them.  

The sector’s leaders need to understand the size of the problem. We need a deep dive into sector and organisational data and engagement with leadership teams, managers and staff across different levels and roles to find out their experiences and what they need to support them.  

We need to raise overall awareness at a sector level. To talk about the significance and impact of menopause, and wider women’s health, on the national stage. To support the creation of sector-wide development programmes to support women leaders impacted by menopause.  

Finally, we should look at good practice and share stories of where it is working well and continue the conversation so that we can continue to share and learn from each other.  

Kirsten Trussell is Menopause lead at the Women’s Leadership Network, which works with leaders across the sector to tackle subjects such as menopause from a systemic and sector-led perspective.