As yet, India has no menopause policy

Aditi Tandon

New Delhi, July 22

The government on Friday informed the Lok Sabha that firm research was needed to draft a menopause policy.

This comes amid a gradually swelling body of evidence that menopause, a natural part of ageing, hampers career growth of women, many of whom experience harsh symptoms.

Need for plan

Advertisement

At present, there is no menopause policy for women employees. Besides consultations with stakeholders and experts, firm research findings on the physical and mental stress faced by women employees as a result of menopause is required. — Smriti Irani, Women and Child Development Minister

Answering a related question in the Lok Sabha, the government today admitted that menopause policy fell under the ambit of the National Health Mission. It, however, sidestepped the query on whether the policy was being drafted.

Women are considered menopausal if they have not had a menstrual period for a year without any underlying cause. Some women experience mild problems or none at all but some can have severe symptoms. Evidence of harmful effects of menopause on career growth of women is gradually surfacing.

An article in the ‘Nature’ journal recently noted that menopause experiences in workplaces globally suggested an underestimated drain on productivity and mental health.

A 2021 report by the Fawcett Society, a gender-equality advocacy organisation in London, found that over half of women and transgender men experiencing menopause said their symptoms made them less likely to want to apply for a promotion. In Australia, a survey of menopausal women working in health care and universities discovered that many felt guilty about their perceived underperformance.

Symptoms vary

• Women are considered menopausal if they have not had a menstrual period for a year
• Some women experience mild problems or none at all but some can have severe symptoms

Lost workdays

A US study published in ‘Menopause’ in 2015 estimated that women experiencing hot flushes and night sweats had up to 60% more lost workdays than do their asymptomatic colleagues.