Former Dragons’ Den star Norah Casey is urging senior women in business and politics to help prevent women leaving the workforce due to the menopause by sharing their own experiences.
The businesswoman said if more female politicians and executives talk openly about the menopause, they will inspire future generations of women to remain in their jobs.
Research by the Menopause Hub, a Dublin-based advocacy group that aims to help women through the menopause, indicates over a third of working women in Ireland have considered quitting because of debilitating symptoms.
The hub’s Menopause in the Workplace survey, carried out in October 2022, found 81 per cent do not feel comfortable discussing the issue with their employer, while 36 per cent said symptoms have forced them to call in sick.
The online survey of 1,087 women also found 10 per cent were forced to abandon their careers after being overwhelmed by symptoms.
According to the HSE, the average age in Ireland for a woman’s periods to stop is 51, when most women would still be working.
Symptoms of the menopause, which include tiredness, anxiety, poor concentration and brain fog, can last four to eight years.
Casey said most successful women usually get offered top jobs when they reach “a certain age” and are going through menopause, while male colleagues are usually promoted a lot earlier in their careers.
“This means that when a woman eventually gets offered ‘the hot seat’, she soon discovers mother nature has another hot seat waiting for them,” she said.
“Studies show that some women are not getting the support they require as their careers progress and their bodies inevitably change.
“Not all women suffer debilitating menopausal symptoms, but those that do are often not receiving the support they require to remain in their jobs.”
Casey is one of the judges in Ireland’s first Menopause Workplace Excellence Awards, launched by the Menopause Hub in partnership with the global workplace culture group Great Place to Work.
Entries to the awards close on September 8, with the winners announced at an event in Dublin on October 12.
“The awards are a great way of applauding people and forward-thinking organisations for good workplace practices,” said Casey.
“If their efforts are recognised, other organisations will hopefully follow.
“When you put a spotlight on the best, others will say, ‘We can do that’.”
She believes that attitudes are changing around speaking openly about the menopause.
“When I was starting out, things were very different; menopause was rarely mentioned in the workplace, if at all,” she said.
“Now, everybody from Gwyneth Paltrow, Davina McCall to a whole range of celebrities are talking openly about it.
“As someone who is going through the menopause, and who has lots of colleagues in public life and in politics, it is great we are now talking about it.
“But I wish more people in my space would talk about their experiences.
“Every significant woman in business or politics across Europe will at one point in their lives experience menopause, there really is no escape.
“I would love it if these women shared their experiences to help normalise the subject for younger generations.”
