Tribunals Make Headlines
In a news report in The Guardian newspaper, by Amelia Hill
Menopause at centre of increasing number of UK employment tribunals
Growing numbers of women are taking their employers to court citing the menopause as proof of unfair dismissal and direct sex discrimination, researchers have said.
According to the latest UK data, there were five employment tribunals referencing the claimant’s menopause in 2018, six in 2019 and 16 in 2020. There have been 10 in the first six months of 2021 alone.
Experts say the rise in cases shows women are increasingly feeling empowered to challenge employers who do not understand the impact the menopause can have and offer them support.
“I can see that this will carry on building until such time as there are some really big, group lawsuits, which I’m sure there will be,” said Dee Murray, the founder and chief executive of Menopause Experts, which carried out the research. “The women in a lot of the big companies are already setting up their own private, internal menopause support groups. If they decide their issues are not supported by HR, you could potentially have a real problem.”
Women aged 50 to 64 are the fastest-growing, economically active group in the UK, due to issues including the rise in the state pension age for women, increased life expectancy and the impact of Covid.
Of the 70% of women in employment in the UK, almost 4.5 million are in this age bracket and it is, added Murray, in employers’ interests to retain these women: many older women are at the peak of their careers, with research proving that the most diverse companies are more likely make a greater profit than less diverse peers.
Yet until recently, the menopause and its impact on women was rarely discussed. Recent research found the UK could be losing 14m work days a year related to the menopause. One in four women who experience menopausal symptoms consider leaving their job, with the resulting loss of knowledge, experience and talent.
One tribunal heard how recruitment worker Aggie Kownacka was told by her female boss it was “no big deal” that she would face menopause at the age of 37 and no longer be able to conceive children. An employment judge ruled the comments did not amount to discrimination but did amount to harassment.
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