Women Legal Professionals Advocate For ‘Menopause-Friendly’ Workplaces
A coalition of women in the legal profession has launched an initiative to raise awareness about the impact of perimenopause and menopause in the legal sector and provide practical guidance on creating more “menopause-friendly” workplaces.
Spearheaded by eight lawyers and legal business professionals, the #menopausematters campaign has published a guide featuring personal experiences and advice for employers. The booklet, titled “Seven Things You Need to Know About Menopause in the Workplace,” includes recommendations ranging from simple adjustments, such as incorporating regular breaks during long meetings, to more formal changes, like modifying absence management policies to accommodate menopause-related health issues without penalizing employees.
“We aim to create a #menopausematters movement,” the group states. “By sharing the guide on social media, we hope that many men and women will re-share it and take action by discussing it, forwarding it to their HR departments, or sending it to their DEI working groups or committees.”
Menopause and its precursor, perimenopause, are significant physiological changes that can profoundly impact women’s working lives. The initiative seeks to shift the narrative from the medical aspects to the practical impacts of menopause at work, thereby fostering a more inclusive and supportive working environment.
This initiative originated from a candid LinkedIn post by Lucie Allen, Managing Director at BARBRI Global, who shared her personal challenges with perimenopause. Subsequent discussions among other women in law highlighted a widespread issue: workplaces are often unprepared to support menopausal women despite their significant representation in the workforce.
Allen explained in a follow-up LinkedIn post that she, along with eight other women, came together in their personal capacities “to share more and hatch a plan around how we can continue to raise awareness for those navigating the stages and symptoms of menopause and those wanting to be better informed.”
The group includes Lucinda Case, Head of Legal Professionals, Europe, Thomson Reuters; Sara Carnegie, Director of the International Bar Association’s Legal Policy & Research Unit; Lisa James, Founder and Director of The Wentworth Collective; Kate Gaskell, CEO of Flex Legal; freelance lawyer Jane Clemetson; Silvia Van den Bruel, Marketing & BD Director at Hausfeld; and Helen Burness, Founder of Saltmarsh Marketing and Co-founder of Helen Squared.
Allen stated, “Menopause is a natural part of life, yet it remains a taboo subject in many workplaces. Our guide seeks to break down these barriers and provide women and employers with the tools to navigate this transition with support.”
Conversations with numerous women in preparing the guide revealed a lack of support. The guide highlights several challenges, including an awareness gap about perimenopause and a lack of workplace communication on the issue. Notably, some women in senior positions, integral to their firms’ success, felt compelled to step down due to inadequate support during menopause.
Van den Bruel added, “When we came together and shared our stories, there was a sense of relief—‘I am not alone in this.’ We aim to replicate that feeling more broadly while providing employers with the necessary resources to foster a supportive environment for women experiencing menopause.”
