A menopause revolution is taking place
This once taboo topic is now being openly discussed, and it's Gen X and Millennial women who are leading this revolution. Speaking up about their experiences and making a stand for improved women's health care. Helping to break down barriers and the cycle of intergenerational trauma.
As Maya Angelou once said:
"Each time a woman stands up for herself, without knowing it possibly, without claiming it, she stands up for all women."
A pivotal point in the revolution in the UK was the documentary, Sex, Myths and the Menopause, which aired in May 2021. Where presenter Davina McCall's candid account of her menopause experience deeply resonated with women across the country. As it shed light on the widespread struggle that women were facing, to receive appropriate support, understanding and treatment during their menopausal transition. Also highlighting a gender health gap due to an historical lack of medical and scientific research, and education into women's health.
The subsequent documentary, Sex, Mind and the Menopause in May 2022 helped to continue the momentum, highlighting the urgency for change. Inspiring more women across the UK to make a stand and speak up, as they empathised with Davina's experience and no longer felt alone. The documentaries helped create a safe space for them to share their stories, as they finally felt they would be heard, seen and understood.
"No more keep calm and carry on and shut up!" Davina McCall
As Brené Brown found in her shame research "empathy is the antidote to shame" and this is why so many women pushed through their fears, to break the silence about their menopausal experiences.
They felt empowered and no longer willing to stay quiet, isolated and vulnerable, which signalled the beginning of the end, to keep "the change" hush hush.
Fast forward to 2024, where the main stream media regularly features articles about the menopause and shares women's stories about their menopausal experiences. We've seen organisations and communities being formed, to provide information, support, training and treatments to women going through their menopausal transition.
The UK Government appointed the first ever Woman's Health Ambassador in England in 2022, a Menopause Employment Champion in 2023, and there's now an established UK Menopause Taskforce with a Woman's Health Strategy. Meanwhile, in the business world, more organisations are realising the importance of cultivating inclusive and psychologically safe work environments for menopausal women. Who also happen to be the fastest growing demographic in the UK workforce.
A healthier society for all
I believe this menopause revolution presents a profound opportunity to shift societal norms. Because by openly and compassionately addressing the menopause we promote inclusion, diversity and wellbeing for all. As we challenge an outdated patriarchal and capitalistic culture that's due a radical overhaul.
Enabling the co-creation of a healthier society that's fit for the 21st Century. One that prioritises people and the planet, instead of personal gain and profits, at the cost of people and the planet.
This menopause revolution has the power and potential to pave the way for the transformative changes needed in society and the world today. Because when we create a difference in women's lives, we not only impact them, we impact everyone influenced by them throughout their entire lifetime. Gradually one by one, we then rise the tide, and as John F Kennedy once said "a rising tide lifts all boats."
We are just at the beginning of the sociocultural changes that can form a healthier societal structure, as we:
normalise a natural stage of life that affects just over half the population, and challenge the outdated beliefs associated with women and ageing;
see more women taking on leadership roles, as they take control of their health and careers, advocating for more flexible, inclusive and compassionate workplace environments, bringing balance to patriarchal hierarchies;
see women as the change champions for a much needed wellbeing economy, as we look beyond GDP to establish an economy designed to serve people and the planet, not the other way around;
look to integrate traditional and modern medicine for a more holistic and personalised approach to the menopause, promoting a shift away from a profit driven one size fits all healthcare model;
build stronger intergenerational communities amongst women through appropriate education and the sharing of menopausal experiences; and
promote environmental sustainability through a greater understanding of the impact of our modern day lifestyle on a women's hormones, and the importance of honouring natures cycles to better meet our wellbeing needs.
Women are the active champions needed to bring about a wellbeing economy
As stated in a great article in The New Statesman, written by Katherine Trebeck, Cofounder of the Wellbeing Economy Alliance, "empirical evidence shows the need for a fundamental rethink of the economy." She goes on to share that whilst we've heard many ideas "none of these have been sufficient to bring about economic and social change at the scale and pace that our economic and ecological crises demand."
I believe with the menopause revolution it's women who are the "active champions" that Katherine speaks of in her article. As so many women are speaking up to loudly "critique the implications of business-as-usual" helping to raise awareness of what needs to change, which is a critical first step to bring about a paradigm shift.
However, as stated in the article "great change involves risk, and there will always be those who block it, from vested interests to those who are complacent or fear transformation". Which is something we need to be aware of in this revolution, in addition to the fact that the changes required are of such a large scale, that this will take time. So, whilst the urgency for change is now evident and we have visible momentum. We're already hearing some people complaining that we're talking too much about the menopause, and some people trying to take advantage of a new emerging market.
Understanding transformational change and how to approach resistance to change was something I first learnt during my HR career, when l led organisational change projects within SMEs. Which is where I found the use of a change framework helped people to understand the change journey we needed to go through. As well as regular progress updates to help maintain motivation, increase advocacy and continue momentum at all levels across the organisations.
I feel this is something we need to consider as we progress through this menopause revolution, so that everyone understands how they can play a role in co-creating this paradigm shift.
The menopause revolution through the lens of a change framework
Step 1 - Creating urgency for the need for change
Taking the Kotter 8 Step Change Model as the framework to apply to this menopause revolution.
We can see that this step began in 2021, with the Davina McCall documentaries, which really opened up the floor for a wave of women to share their menopausal experiences. Uniting to provide clear evidence of the urgent need for change.
This coincided with the previous UK Governments call for evidence, where they sought feedback from women on how to improve the health and wellbeing of women in the UK. Recognising that "for generations, women have lived with a health and care system that is mostly designed by men, for men." The response to the survey highlighted the menopause for inclusion in the new Woman's Health Strategy and led to the formation of a UK Menopause Taskforce.
I would like to take this opportunity to recognise a few women, who I feel have played key roles, in leading the beginning of this revolution in the UK, helping to create the urgency for change, such as:
Kate Muir, the producer of the Davina McCall documentaries, which were created following her investigations into the menopause. Kate is an active campaigner for female health and equality, a woman's health expert, professional speaker and author of the best selling book 'Everything you need to know about the Menopause'.
Kirsty Wark, who was the first journalist to get a documentary aired about the menopause on the BBC back in 2017 with Menopause and Me. She has continued to advocate for women's health and chairs discussions about how we can improve workplace inclusion and diversity. Her documentary also help to inspired Rachel Weiss to set up the Menopause Café charity which was founded in 2017, of which Kirsty is the now the patron.
Dr Louise Newson, a GP and Menopause Specialist, who in 2018 founded the Newson Health Group, as she identified the need for women to find evidence based support and treatment during their menopausal transition. This is now a centre of excellence providing evidence-based information, support and treatments to perimenopausal and menopausal women. The group also funds research into the menopause and creates clinical-led education programmes for healthcare professionals and provides free menopause resources. Dr Newson also founded the free balance menopause support app, which allows women to track their symptoms, access personalised expert content and download a Health Report to take to their GP to support discussions. She also founded The Menopause Charity, hosts a top podcast focused on women's health, is the author of The Definitive Guide to Perimenopause and Menopause, and works passionately to campaign for better menopause care for women.
Dee Murray, a former Psychotherapist who noticed the need for reliable resources and expert support in terms of symptom management related to the menopausal transition. So founded the Menopause Experts Group in 2020 which provides educational training and free resources. As well as Menopause Champion training and Menopause Approved licences for businesses committed to creating supportive workplaces for menopausal women.
Deborah Garlick, founder of Henpecked one of the biggest online communities for women and director of Menopause in the Workplace who are industry leaders for workplace menopause training. She is also author of the book Menopause: A change for the better, and she organised the worlds first Menopause in the Workplace Conference in 2016.
Lauren Chiren, founder of Women of a Certain Stage, which provides Menopause Champion, Coach and Mentor training programmes, and works with organisations to provide menopause education, training and policy guidance. Lauren has made significant contributions to the field as well as a keynote speaker, also supporting the UK government with evidence for the menopause in the workplace inquiry. Which led to the formation of a new BSI Standard BS 30416, Menstruation, menstrual health and menopause in the workplace
Step 2 - Form a powerful coalition
This stage is where momentum begins to build, and in the UK alone we've seen this developing within our Government, workplaces and through the formation of organisations and communities of women.
Such as the:
implementation of the Government's UK Menopause Taskforce and the Woman's Health Strategy;
implementation of the new BSI Standard for Menstrual and Menopausal Health Matters in the Workforce;
formation of the pledges and accreditations such as: Menopause Workplace Pledge, Menopause Approved and Menopause Friendly so organisations can show their commitment and receive guidance on how to create a workplace environment that supports menopausal women;
CIPD actively working with the Government to ensure that the menopause is part of their public policy agenda, following their Menopause Manifesto in 2019, and two studies on the menopause in the workplace to raise employer awareness, the most recent in 2023;
introduction of Menopause Champion and Coach training so women have experts they can turn to for reliable advice and support; and
introduction of Menopause Cafes where people can gather to eat cake, drink tea and discuss menopause informally.
Many other organisations have and are being formed to help lead the change that needs to take place, not just in the UK but worldwide.
Increasing numbers of women across the UK and the world are uniting to form communities, either face to face or online, to share and support one another through their menopause journeys. Being active champions within their communities.
Step 3 - Create a vision for change
A key element of any change process is a clear guiding vision. As it paints a picture of a future that doesn't yet exist, inspiring and uniting people through a shared purpose.
"Vision is seeing a future state with the minds eye - vision is applied imagination" Stephen Covey
In this menopause revolution, we need to apply our imagination to create a vision of what a healthier society looks like, where the socioeconomic changes mentioned above have already taken place.
This will help everyone, every organisation and community to also understand how they can contribute towards bringing about the paradigm shift required.
As individuals we can take responsibility for how we can support the vision in our daily lives to help create a society where:
cultural attitudes towards the menopausal transition are positive, where this stage of a woman's life is viewed as a meaningful rite of passage, where women step more into their authority as they mature, to lead more in communities, workplaces and society;
healthcare services and support for menopausal women are improved, as women can easily access information about a range of treatments and resources to support their individual needs;
women feel self empowered to navigate this stage in their life, as they've received appropriate education about the menopause, can readily access reliable resources and support, leading to improved wellbeing;
employers create psychologically safe work environments for all with flexible working practices and access to wellbeing resources, enabling menopausal women to stay in their careers longer and move into more leadership roles;
governments and employers redefine productivity, as changes to working practices bring about a perspective shift that values peoples health and wellbeing over profit margins, realising this approach leads to economic success;
everyone is educated about the menopause and andropause, as these are natural stages for women and men as they age, helping us as a society to embrace the natural aging process and reduce ageism;
sufficient research takes place into women's health and the effects of the hormonal changes they experience during puberty, pregnancy and perimenopause, ensuring an holistic approach that integrates traditional and modern medicine, healthcare and support; and
appropriate funding is made available for women's healthcare that factor in the different hormonal changes, ensuring appropriate healthcare and support.
Such a society creates an empowering environment for women to thrive and removes the handbrake to their career progression, so they take on more leadership roles. Helping to form stronger communities and rebuild more inclusive social connections, which is much needed to cultivate a healthier society for the 21st Century.
"Women are the real architects of the society" Harriet Beecher Stowe
When women take on more leadership roles, this will help bring balance to an overly patriarchal society. If we look at research on matriarchal societies, such as the work of Hiede Goettner Abendroth, we can start to envision what this balance could look and feel like. For example, she describes the essence of matriarchal societies as:
"Not a reversal of patriarchy...rather they are, without exception, gender egalitarian societies, and in many cases full egalitarian societies. They are societies that are free of domination but are stabilised by certain guidelines and codes. With matriarchies, equality does not mean a mere levelling of differences. The natural differences between genders and generations are respected and honoured, and the differences don't lead to hierarches. The different genders and generations each have their own values ad dignity, and through a system of complimentary activities, they are dependent on each other."
Step 4 - Communicating the vision
This stage is about "walking the talk" to bring the vision to life, and acknowledges the fact that everyone has a part to play in cultivating the changes needed. This requires a commitment to develop increased self awareness, to challenge our own unconscious bias about the menopause, women, wellbeing, ways of working and ageing.
By taking personal responsibility we can each become role models of the shared vision, by educating ourselves, by helping to raise awareness and by calling out anything that is not aligned with the vision. Because whilst the Government and organisations will be focused on large scale changes, it's our role as individuals that will be key to embedding this vision in our daily lives, in workplaces and communities.
"Be the change that you wish to see in the world" Gandhi
We also need to continue to normalise the conversation about the menopause to ensure we cultivate psychologically safe environments. To enable more woman to keep speaking up and ensure their needs are met during their menopausal transition.
Communication is always key during any change process, and consistent messaging is needed throughout each stage, because our human brains are wired to learn through repetition over time. So, even if some people may say we're talking too much about the menopause, its vital to keep the conversation and messaging going. As we need to keep up the momentum, and we need to acknowledge that the fear, shame and vulnerability felt through generations of women runs deep, and healing and change are gradual processes.
"Repeat after me: good communication requires repetition. When you're tired of your message, it's just starting to land." Adam Grant - Organisational Psychologist
So, despite any dissenting voices that may wish to distract this movement, we need to keep focused on the vision through open conversations.
Looking at all the different ways we can cultivate the vision in our daily lives - being the change we want to see by leading by example in our families, workplaces, communities etc.
Step 5 - Remove Obstacles
There will always be obstacles in any change process, which can become barriers to success, by halting action and slowing down momentum. Which is why identifying potential obstacles at outset is vital, and some of the main obstacles we face when it comes to the menopause are the:
lack of awareness and education;
cultural stigmas and taboo;
healthcare system barriers;
workplace challenges;
economic factors;
research gaps;
media representation; and
intersectionality.
Whilst the Government and larger organisations will focus on overcoming obstacles through policy development, issuing guidance, ensuring appropriate health education etc. It will largely be down to each of us individuals to play a role in overcoming many of these obstacles in our daily lives. However, it's important to acknowledge that we can only ever act on what is within our control, or have the ability to influence.
One of the best skills we as individuals can develop in order to overcome these obstacles is to develop critical thinking. Because to shift our paradigm we need to shift the way we think about menopause, women and ageing. As Einstein once famously said:
"We cannot solve problems with the same thinking we used when we created them"
Critical thinking will help us to transition from one paradigm to another, as it requires us to question our beliefs about the current way we view and do things.
A belief is something we have accepted as true, mainly during our childhood from our caregivers. Which is an unconscious mental process, and why they are also referred to as unconscious bias.
It's not until we've matured that we have the cognitive ability to use critical thinking to uncover these beliefs, which are at the core of our decisions and behaviours.
Critical thinking will be key to overcoming many of the obstacles around the menopause as we need to determine what is true, rather than what we've been told or read by others, who have their own unconscious bias. Which is why its important to hear different perspectives through open conversations around the menopause, understanding how it impacts women and how it impacts those around them. As everyone's experience will be unique, but there will also be commonalities too.
Essentially, we can't sit back and let others, such as the Government, to take full responsibility for overcoming these obstacles, we each need to take responsibility for our role in cultivating the changes. There is much within our control and we can help influence others, as many of the obstacles above will be encountered in our daily lives. Such as: challenging a sexist comment made by a colleague, raising awareness about unconscious bias as part of menopause in the workplace training and consultations, calling out social media content that is ageist, looking at ways we are instilling beliefs about women and aging with our children etc.
Step 6 - Create short term wins
These are vital in any change movement, as they provide evidence of how efforts are contributing towards the desired long term goal/s, and they help maintain momentum.
However, they need to be planned for, whether this is at an individual or organisational level, as short term wins are goals and milestones will keep us on track towards our vision.
Some examples of short term wins:
Menopause Friendly Workplaces - every time an organisation signs up their commitment to supporting their employees wellbeing needs, and increasing awareness.
Menopause Champions - every time someone trains up to be a champion in their workplace and or community, helping to raise awareness and contributing towards more psychologically safe communities and workplaces.
Education of medical professionals - nurses and GPs receiving evidence based training to begin improving frontline menopause care.
Inauthentic Short Term Wins - Wellbeing Washing
Unfortunately this movement will be susceptible to wellbeing washing. Whereby companies focus more on appearing to care for their employees wellbeing, but it's purely a tick box exercise.
Whilst it is great that many businesses are signing up to become menopause friendly and pledging their commitment to create environments that menopausal women can thrive in. There is a cultural tendency for leaders to take a knee jerk reaction to the urgency for change, and want to be seen to be doing the right thing, without truly valuing employee wellbeing. Such as, implementing policies and setting up wellbeing programmes that they don't value, or ensure they are incorporated into their people strategy. So they fall by the wayside and are seen as just an initiative.
We will likely see many short term wins along the way, but these are just stepping stones to long term change, as it's currently estimated that there are 13 million perimenopausal or menopausal women in the UK alone. This menopause revolution will require intergenerational changes and will take years, so we must keep carrying the baton forward for years to come to eventually bring about this paradigm shift.
By building on the short term wins each year and continuing to assess what we can do as individuals, in our field of work, in our families and communities. We continue the momentum and will ensure we are always looking at ways to improve on what is being implemented, to co-create a healthier society and bring the vision to life.
Step 7 - Build on the change
The main reason so many changes projects fail is because the changes are not truly embedded, so people revert back to old ways of being, as we humans are creatures of habit.
For example, there was an attempt to begin a menopause revolution back in the early 90's, where some articles began to highlight the stigmas around the menopause and the lack of research into the safety of hormone therapy. However, they didn't create sufficient urgency for change, no coalitions were formed and it didn't gather momentum. Here we are nearly 30 years later and the same issues are still being highlighted, but thankfully this time we are moving through the stages of this change framework. We have momentum and we need to keep building on this.
Purpose Provocateur's
This is a phase coined by Holly Branson's Purpose and Vision team at Virgin, which I love as it means "someone who is unafraid to challenge the status quo, loves to provoke and stimulate discussions, and encourages bold action". Which applied in a business context means you would help ensure the "business’s purpose stays at the forefront of every decision it makes".
When I worked on a large change project in my HR career we called these roles Change Champions, and as a team we would be the eyes and ears in each site, meeting regularly to address issues promptly with management. Ultimately, we would be the advocates of the changes required and work with managers to help implement actions locally, with a focus on ensuring we brought people along with us on the change journey.
When I think of how we as individuals in society can play a role in keeping the menopause revolution at the forefront of peoples minds, to keep building on the changes. The definition of a Purpose Provocateur describes this so well, as it encourages the skill of critical thinking. Whilst women definitely seem to be leading the way as Purpose Provocateurs for this revolution, anyone can take on this role to drive forward the vision.
There is no force more powerful than a woman determined to rise." Bosa Sebele
Step 8 - Anchor the changes in our culture and society
This final stage reminds me of something an Investors in People (IiP) Assessor once said to me, when I led the implementation of the IiP framework within organisations. He said when he interviewed employees for the accreditation process, he was looking to see whether changes made/being made were "sticky". What he meant by this was, the changes needed to show signs they were being embedded by people in how they worked day to day. Which is how they become part of the organisations culture "the way we do things here".
As mentioned in Step 7 we need to ensure people/companies don't just pay 'lip service' to the changes required with this movement, such as; implementing menopause policies/action plans as a knee jerk reaction. But not having effective employee consultations, so they don't meet the needs of those it was created to support, and not underpinning the policy with appropriate training and processes.
On an individual level, people can like and share posts on social media, but they also need to be taking action, to question their own narrative and cultivate the changes required in their daily lives.
Whilst it's mainly women leading these changes, menopause involves everyone. As menopausal women make up just over half the worlds population, and the symptoms many experience often impacts how they function in their daily lives, affecting relationships with those around them.
Therefore, to make the required changes stick, it's important we keep hearing about women's experiences throughout all stages of the menopausal journey.
We also need to continue building up credible resources for women of all ages, ensuring appropriate education, for women to be self empowered to navigate this stage in their life.
We also need to keep celebrating our achievements along the way, and ensure we pause to reflect on the progress made at regular intervals, and keep taking actions that align with the shared vision.
In the process we will start to gradually dispel the intergenerational stigmas surrounding the menopause, women and aging, and change the narrative, as Dr Lisa Mosconi states in her wonderful book The Menopause Brain:
"Menopause is a physiological stage of life. While the symptoms may not feel normal and the actual challenges surrounding it can feel anything but ordinary, menopause is not an illness, a disease or a pathological condition. It is a transition. It doesn't need curing or fixing. It does need addressing and managing, if necessary."
Final thoughts
For me and many other post menopausal women, the menopause transition is a rite of passage - a period of personal evolution. A psychological shift occurs that requires a more conscious approach through improved education, resources and support. The more women can prepare for this transition, the more they can embrace it to make the most of their lives. This means women developing their self awareness, to uncover their beliefs about themselves, aging and the menopause, as these beliefs directly impact their experience of the transition.
Dr Lisa Mosconi writes "Research shows there is a direct two way link between a woman's physical symptoms, her beliefs about the menopause, and her actual experience of the transition. Women who harbour more apprehension about menopause ahead of the fact tend to experience worse symptoms throughout."
Igniting a global shift in consciousness
Fundamentally, nature always has a way of restoring balance, and I believe the inner call that women experience during their menopausal transition, is a call to come back home to themselves and start meeting their needs.
It's a process that helps them evolve to the next stage in their life and also highlights an inner call for humans in general to evolve. As this modern way of living, created by a patriarchal system, has taken us away from the nature of who we are as human beings. The health implications of living this way means we've neglected our needs for too long. Globally we're stressed and burnt-out, all in order to fit in to a way of living that is not sustainable for any human being.
The way we live and work is out of balance with the nature of who we as humans and is also something Dr Lisa Mosconi speaks about her book. She looks at the theory of the menopause and it being an evolutionary adaption, "as brain-hormone events promote social and cognitive upgrades or adaptive advantages" where women's nurturing abilities and the menopausal transition "hone us for unique societal roles". It's called the grandmother hypothesis and I just love her final words on this chapter in her book "while hormones may ebb, we shall not".
To therefore anchor in the changes of this menopause revolution, we need to co-create a world where women can finally realise their intrinsic worth, and in doing so they will take everyone with them to create a paradigm shift for the betterment of the world.
"Menopause is igniting the global shift in consciousness that both you and the world have been desperately longing for." Alexandra Pope and Sjanie Hugo Wurlitzer
Kommentit