Menopause leave on women's wishlist

EVEN THOUGH SEVERAL companies in the West have started to adopt policies and offer benefits to women undergoing menopause, India Inc is yet to warm up to the issue.

- SHUBHANGI SHAH

This is despite the fact that menopause - a natural biological process that marks the end of a woman's menstrual cycles - affects a sizable portion of the workforce that largely comprises the senior leadership at a majority of the firms.

As per a 2022 survey conducted by pharma firm Abbott, in partnership with market research company Ipsos, 82% women believed that menopause can impact a woman's well-being, with 81% saying it also affected their work life. The survey covered 1,200 people across seven cities in India. Also, 18% women said they worked through related pain/symptoms, with 26% saying they took time off for these symptoms without divulging the reasons, said Saraswathi Kasturirangan, chief happiness officer, Deloitte India, quoting a 'Women@Work' study.

IN A RECENT survey published on Thursday, covering 2,000 employed women in the US and the UK, 80% of the participants reported managing menopause symptoms as a challenge at work. Loss of concentration was reported as the top interference - US (42%) and UK (56%). On top of that, a third of women felt going through menopause while working would hamper their career growth.