One in five women say their employer does not offer enough menstruation and menopause support

One in five women in the UK believe their employer does not offer enough menstruation and menopause support, a new report has found.

The online printing company instantprint quizzed over 1,000 UK workers with the aim of uncovering prevailing opinions regarding menopause and menstruation in the workplace to determine whether the topics are still perceived as “taboo”.

It found that 30 per cent of female employees said their employer supports them in the workplace while 19 per cent said their employer does not seem to support menopause or menstruation at all.

The survey found that almost a third of females surveyed shared that they only feel comfortable talking about menopause and menstruation with other female colleagues, with one in five women not feeling comfortable talking to anybody at all about it.

A whopping 57 per cent of women believed they have or might be held back at work while 35 per felt like they ‘somewhat’ have been or may be held back.

“Inclusion in the workplace has never been so necessary,” said Nic Ponsford, women’s health expert and founder and CEO of the Global Equity Collective.

“Ensuring that our largest growing demographic of people feel welcomed and wanted through this huge life change is not only ‘good to have’, it is ethical and humane.

“This research illustrates the importance of putting people at the heart of our vision and policies – in order to create opportunities for all, rather than excluding key parts of our workforce.”

A common misconception is that menopause primarily affects older women, even though this is true for most women.

The instantprint survey revealed that of those who reported going through menopause, the most popular age range was 35-44 followed by 45-54 and 54+.

Additionally, the findings showed 31 per cent of participants believed going through menstruation or menopause negatively impacted their work.