Effects of menopause on working women study

[Charlottebrown1001]

Hello!☺️

Are you currently experiencing menopause and in employment? If so, your participation will help deepen our understanding of how menopause impacts working women, a reality experienced by nearly 8 in 10 women during menopause.

I am an MSc Organisational Psychology student at the University of Manchester, looking for participants to complete a short 15-minute questionnaire. It aims to investigate the effects of menopause on productivity, performance and well-being at work.

Menopause has been studied to have serious negative effects on women’s daily life however there is little research on the effects of menopause in the workplace. This research will enhance understanding of how menopause affects working women and will assist companies in developing supportive policies.

If you are:
· Currently going through menopause (perimenopause, menopause or post-menopause)
· Employed / self-employed

Please consider reading over the participant information sheet linked below and decide if you would like to contribute to this research:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RaAr61CEzjCzb7PW0I8Y_hz98m8M1m9wqflSkHuN66U/edit?usp=sharing

Study link: https://www.qualtrics.manchester.ac.uk/jfe/form/SV_4OT1YVjZnmhm9TM

Thank you for your time and participation!

If you have any questions about the study, please contact the researcher: Charlotte Brown ([email protected])

You lost me on the first question asking about my gender identity.

I thought you were wanting to recruit only biological females how would it matter how they want to present.

Aside from the gender question there are options for a male to complete it or anyone under 35. Why would they be completing a survey about menopause ?

This could be a really important & useful piece of research but the first question is about gender identity? What on earth difference does that make to menopause?

don't you want to know what sex people are which might be much more useful when studying something only biological women can experience

It would be good to have a free text space. I wanted to comment that I bend over backwards at work to make it all happen despite feeling tired and depleted at a detriment to my health and home life. I also slog at work despite my meno symptoms because I don’t want my career to suffer as it funds our lives. This isn’t captured anywhere.

From the 'study link' at thr bottom of the OP:

"Women currently going through perimenopause, menopause and post menopause are chosen participants for this study" so what does a male (what we used to call a 'man') have you do with the study. Come ON now.

I would’ve contributed, but asking about gender identity when you’re talking about menopause is insulting. Only women go through the menopause. Gender identity, if it even exists, is completely irrelevant to your research.

I would have been happy to help, I'm in a senior position and whilst I think my symptoms are pretty minimal the ones I do have are having a serious impact in a very male high expectation environment.

Why are you collecting gender identity? It is classed as 'Personal Data' and must only be collected, stored and processed if it is genuinely needed. Are you not taught this? How many non binary and trans men do you expect to answer this so you can draw robust conclusions related to their GI?

You also lost me on the first question. I'm menopausal, which means, by definition, that I am female. Asking about gender identity on an issue which only affects women is irrelevant and, as someone above said, insulting.

I've read the survey but I won't be submitting it.

You should check the definitions you've used for the stages of menopause as they don't make sense.

The survey refers to menopausal symptoms as health issues. I'm perfectly healthy, I just might happen to have symptoms associated with menopause, which is a normal life stage. They don't affect my general health.

Obviously it is a standard form situation but need to do better if it’s about the menopause, only women as in XX chromosomes can go through menopause and under 18’s need not apply, in fact anyone under 40 would be outside normal parameters so wouldn’t be representative of typical situations

As others have said, an ill thought out, and frankly insulting first question.

Add itchy skin to the list of symptoms for sure - I know I'm not the only one!

I have completed the survey, but I think the lack of free space to add any colour around the responses is a real shame, as it seems highly likely you will draw conclusions without understanding what is being said and why.

Eg, Many of my responses might have nothing to do with menopause but there's no way for me to point that out. And there's no way for me to specify which others are a direct consequence.

There's also no questions on whether we're taking HRT, which seems odd as surely it would be relevant in comparing results.

I have been working at the same company for 5 years, the first 2 of which were before I hit perimenopause, and the remaining 3 have been during perimenopause. I was hoping to be able to explain the difference between how I felt and was able to perform pre and post.

For example, choosing to go down to part time work as I felt unable to manage. Trying to get out of any public meetings, feeling unable to do my job, losing my memory and being unable to string a sentence together (hence wanting to avoid group meetings). Becoming so anxious and upset about things that i used to be able to handle.

I've now ended up choosing to take redundancy because I feel in over my head. I don't blame my workplace at all. I think they have tried to accommodate me (they agreed to let me do part time work, they have openly asked me to shape my own role - I just seem incapable of doing so...I can't come up with anything, my mind just goes blank). My work have recently given us all additional paid time off to take whenever we like for mental health purposes. I'm not sure what else they could do. I just struggle with reasonable requests for someone at my level as I have turned into a nervous wreck who can't get words out, gets waves of anxiety and has no confidence - alternating with a complete lack of motivation or interest in work.

I used to be capable. I used to have a career that defined me. I have no children, and now feel my purpose has gone. 4 years ago I was a different person.

God I hope this is just a phase!!

I'm not sure your questionnaire will surface this sort of info from my answers. The main point I guess, being the massive difference in my abilities and feelings pre and post suffering from perimenopause. Oh - and that I don't think it's my workplace's fault.

This is REALLY important research, there are some dodgy numbers knocking around regarding older women missing from the workforce due to menopause. So please get the methodology right.

Can't help feeling HQ have set you up for a kicking here, they must've known we'd react like this 🤔

Thank you so much for sharing this. This describes my relationship with work, I feel like I’m on a speeding train just clinging on when I’m there and I worry about everything I’ve done when I’m home and then what’s coming the next day. I’ve done this job for 20 years and I’m objectively good at what I do, but I feel dreadful about it all the time now. I feel like an ungrateful person as I have a good life, job, family but feel sad and panicky all the time and crash out tired by 8pm.

I really hope it does pass

You could have a surgical menopause if you have a hysterectomy. This would make a younger female go through the menopause. Im no doctor. I am definitely female, menopause only happens to females....

In version of the quesitonnaire I took, there was a question about whether taking HRT.

I'm another one who won't complete due to the first question about gender identity.

Your ethnic groups are odd for a uk survey, African American, native American and hawaiian suggest you're using a USA survey template.

i agree with this. Plus why aren’t you asking about women who had to leave work due to menopause. I’ve struggled on at work for ages but eventually had to leave because of the added affect of menopause on top of chronic illness. However having to stop work altogether (or even losing your job) because of menopause is commonly reported. I feel that by excluding women who are now out of work you are only getting a small part of the picture of how women in work are affected by menopause.

This. It makes me really angry actually that the quality of this questionnaire is so poor on this vitally important research area. I am pleased that someone wants to be looking at it, but a questionnaire of this quality isn’t going to achieve anything useful. OP I really hope you read the responses on this thread and go back to the drawing board with the design of your questions and questionnaire.

I have had some questions regarding the relevancy of asking gender identity. Gender identity in menopause research is not only relevant but is also becoming increasingly important for accuracy, inclusivity and ethical research practices.

Not all people experiencing menopause identify as women… as transgender men, non binary individuals etc may also go through menopause. Ignoring gender identity poses the risk of misrepresenting or excluding their experiences.

Collecting gender identity also ensures participants are addressed correctly and respectfully in the analysis and write up stage.

Gender identity is a standard demographic variable in modern research which will help deepen the analysis and findings of the study.

Many thanks,

Charlotte

“Gender identity is a standard demographic variable in modern research which will help deepen the analysis and findings of the study.”

It will not. HTH.

Unless you have a very pro-active (and successful) recruitment policy to get tgMen to answer, you won't get enough tgender Men to make them into a meaningful subgroup that allows you to make conclusions. At best, you might get a few answers providing data that that you can discuss as "suggestive".

I don't object to the gender question at all in the survey but what it really means is you have to throw out the tgMen participants (or any tgWs if you get them) from most the data analysis.

I'm confused by the responses here. I don't remember a question about sex, and I wouldn't expect one given that the info said it was for women going through menopause.
Gender identity is not sex, so even if you don't agree with the concept, it doesn't make it a survey for biological men.
There is a question about HRT.
There is also a space to fill in other symptoms such as itchy skin. It's not ignored.
Younger women can go through the menopause. It would be interesting to see whether work impact is the same for them as for older women like me. And actually, I am also mildly interested in the impact on women who choose not to be viewed as women, given that for me it is very much tied up in my understanding of myself as an older woman (lots of womaning in that sentence!).
It's a short survey for a Masters, public access, so presumably wanting a large number of responses. I can see why you wouldn't want a large number of open text responses. Maybe there will be a second part with interviews to get more qualitative data?

Ignoring gender identity poses the risk of misrepresenting or excluding their experiences.

But including gender identity is actually causing lots of women to self exclude. Me included.

You ask for only gender identity, if you want to ask for gender identity you should ONLY do so if you also ask biological sex.

You aren’t even asking if the person replying is a biological women, something which men, however they identify don’t go through. TW will have their hormone levels monitored and tweaked, a privilege women don’t get.

You need to feed back to your university that gender alone is not appropriate for gathering data, it massively skews results.

The participant information says the study is for employed women who are in perimenopause, menopause or post menopause. Participants confirm they have read that information at the start of the survey. It's not asked, because only women are the desired participants.