Menopause and the Equality Act are still treated like strangers. Almost every woman will face menopause, yet the Equality Act pretends it doesn’t exist. Meanwhile, the people writing laws about menopause? Overwhelmingly men. The same men who happily legislate abortion rights in the USA and, closer to home, align with Reform UK’s anti-abortion politics. Different policy, same pattern: men deciding what women can and can’t do with their bodies. Rise, god damn repeat.
Half the UK population will go through menopause. Roughly 13 million women are menopausal or perimenopausal right now. But the people setting policy, MPs, civil servants, even clinical guideline writers, are mostly male. And that’s not incidental. That’s systemic.
What Menopause Actually Feels Like (Spoiler: It’s Not Just Hot Flushes)
Here’s the bit that politicians (mostly men, of course) don’t get. Menopause isn’t just “a couple of hot flushes and a bit of moodiness.” It’s a full-body, full-brain, full-life disruption that barges into every corner of your day whether you’ve invited it or not.
Brain Fog and Daily Disasters
Take me, for example. Today I told my friends I was going to Lidl. Lidl. Because that’s where they sell the wine I wanted. Guess where I ended up? A completely different shop, staring at shelves like I’d never been in a supermarket before. That’s brain fog, when your memory and focus vanish into thin air. And let me tell you, it’s not quirky or funny when it’s every single day.
Hot Flushes and Physical Chaos
Or here’s another one, also from today. I had to walk into another room, strip off all my clothes, fling the window wide open, and sit on the bed sweating buckets like I’d just run a marathon. Except I hadn’t, I’d just existed. That’s a hot flush. Not a “glow,” not a “warm moment.” We’re talking clothes-drenching, face-dripping, get-me-out-of-here-now levels of heat.
And those are just two examples. Add to that:
- Night sweats so bad you need fresh sheets at 3am.
- Insomnia that leaves you running on fumes the next day.
- Anxiety that comes out of nowhere, even if you’ve never had it before.
- Mood swings that make you feel like you’ve been hijacked by someone else.
- Aches, migraines, joint pain that slow you down in ways you can’t explain.
Now drop all of that into the workplace. Try leading a meeting while drenched in sweat. Or writing an email when you can’t remember basic words. Or standing at a till when your body feels like it’s on fire from the inside out.
This isn’t just discomfort. It’s derailment. Menopause doesn’t just disrupt comfort, it derails careers. Workplaces and governments shrug while women in midlife get knocked sideways.
And yet, despite all this, menopause is still absent from the Equality Act. According to the people in charge, it’s not really “serious enough” to warrant protection. Sure. Tell that to my sweat-soaked bedsheets.
Should Menopause Be in the Equality Act?
The Equality Act 2010 lists nine protected characteristics: sex, race, age, disability, religion, and so on. Menopause isn’t one of them.
Yes, women can sometimes bring cases under sex discrimination or age discrimination, and in severe cases menopause might fall under disability law. But here’s the thing: menopause and the Equality Act should be linked, yet they’re not. Forcing women to fight cases under sex, age, or disability law is bureaucracy, not fairness.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) says employers may be guilty of discrimination if they dismiss menopause symptoms. But the law doesn’t explicitly say “menopause matters.” And in 2022, when MPs reviewed the issue, the government’s official response was: no change needed. Translation: we can’t be bothered.
Government Policy: All Taskforce, No Teeth
Yes, there’s a UK Menopause Taskforce. Yes, glossy reports exist with titles like Menopause and the Workplace: How to Enable Fulfilling Working Lives.
But the fine print says it all:
- No amendment to the Equality Act.
- No legal requirement for workplaces to adopt menopause policies.
- No guarantee of equal access to clinics or HRT.
The Women and Equalities Committee explicitly told ministers to treat menopause as an equality issue. The government shrugged. Meanwhile, a Fawcett Society survey showed 1 in 10 women leave jobs due to menopause, and 44% say it affects their work. The cost of doing nothing? Already huge.
The Pushback: Why Employers and Governments Drag Their Feet
Let’s be blunt: one reason menopause isn’t explicitly protected is money. Employers fear the cost of flexible work, leave, and legal risk. Governments fear the business lobby.
- Cost to business: Adjustments, policies, or extra leave mean upfront spending.
- Fear of litigation: If menopause joins the Equality Act, tribunals could rise.
- Hiring bias: Worst-case scenario? Employers quietly avoid hiring women in their 40s and 50s, fearing “the menopause years.” That’s illegal, but don’t rule it out.
Why That Thinking Is Short-Sighted
Ignoring menopause is already more expensive than tackling it.
- 1 in 10 women quit jobs due to menopause.
- 44% report reduced performance at work.
- The economy loses billions in lost talent, productivity, and experience.
Employers think menopause policies cost money. But the real cost comes when staff quit, replacements need training, and experience drains away. Silence isn’t cheap, it’s reckless.
The Welfare Time Bomb: If Employers Don’t Hire Older Women
Here’s the part no minister wants to talk about: if employers start dodging women in midlife to avoid menopause “risk,” the bill doesn’t vanish. It just shifts. Straight to the state.
Imagine hundreds of thousands of women in their 40s and 50s unable to secure work because of hidden discrimination. Where do they end up? On Universal Credit. On housing support. On health benefits. On pensions earlier than planned.
Propping up millions of excluded women dwarfs the modest cost of workplace adjustments. It’s not just an equality issue. It’s a fiscal one. And until menopause and the Equality Act are properly aligned, nothing stops this discrimination from quietly growing.
How to Mitigate This Risk: Targets, Transparency, and Teeth
The good news? We don’t need to guess how to prevent hidden hiring bias. We can use the same tools already used for gender pay gaps and diversity reporting.
- Benchmark employment levels → Employers above a certain size should report annually how many women aged 40+ they employ. That creates a baseline.
- Targets, not quotas → Companies could be required to keep employment of 40+ women within a reasonable band (say, no more than 5% below their industry average). If numbers tank, it’s a red flag.
- Public transparency → Just like gender pay gap reporting, data on employment by age and sex should be published. No company wants to be on a government list for “ditching older women.”
- Incentives for retention → Tax credits or grants for employers who demonstrate they’re actively retaining 40+ women in work through policies and support.
- Enforcement with teeth → The EHRC should investigate industries where employment of older women drops disproportionately after menopause policies are introduced.
This isn’t about forcing companies to hire anyone unqualified. It’s about ensuring employers don’t quietly push half the workforce out the back door to avoid responsibility.
Men Writing Women’s Rules: Abortion, Menopause, Same Old Story
If this feels familiar, it should. In the USA, abortion rights are routinely legislated by male-dominated assemblies. Here in the UK, Reform UK has become home to anti-abortion hardliners. Nigel Farage himself has called abortion laws “ludicrous” and “out of date,” railing against 24-week access.
So why should we be surprised that menopause is also ignored? Same story, different chapter: men deciding how women’s bodies are managed, while pretending it’s neutral.
Menopause, abortion, contraception, all written into law by people who’ll never live through them. That’s not representation. That’s paternalism with a parliamentary stamp.
The Medication Minefield: HRT and Who Gets Left Behind
Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) is the frontline treatment. But shortages in 2022–2023 left thousands of women stranded. Even now, access is a postcode lottery.
Not all women can take HR, breast cancer survivors, those with clotting risks, or certain health conditions are excluded. Alternatives exist (SSRIs, CBT, lifestyle changes), but resources are thin and research underfunded. Why? Because women’s health issues remain second-tier in male-led research agendas.
Conclusion: Stop Whispering, Start Legislating
Menopause isn’t rare, niche, or optional. It happens to half the population. Yet the Equality Act pretends it doesn’t exist. What we need is for menopause and the Equality Act to finally be connected in law, because pretending otherwise isn’t just unjust, it’s costly.
Yes, policies have costs. But the cost of silence is higher, in lost jobs, lost potential, higher welfare bills, and widening gender inequality. The risk of discrimination can be managed with clear standards, incentives, transparency, and enforcement.
The bigger risk? Letting men continue to decide the rules for women’s bodies, from abortion to menopause, without women holding the pen.
Menopause is biology. How we legislate it is politics. And right now, politics is failing half the country.
🔗 Related read: Reform UK is becoming a home for anti-abortion politicians
🔗 Related read: UK Government Response – Menopause and the Workplace