“Menopausal” economy remark

[speakingwoman]

I’m not offended.

In fact I’m more pissed off with the apology and its references to “gender”.

Today I’m off to a meeting with (as usual) two men and am going to make damn sure I mention the words Woman, Sex and menopause before the end of lunch (saddo solitary bingo).

I would rather have menopause as a word out there to reclaim than see the whole nature of womanhood erased/denied by TRAs.

Totally agree.
Economy needs the fiscal equivalent of HRT.

I didn't see what was so offensive when I first heard it, but then I thought that maybe that was partly because the menopause is still a long way off for me, so its not something I take personally, iyswim.
I thought that maybe it is more offensive to older women as it implies that being menopausal/post-menopausal is somehow synonymous for being a bit crap.

I don't think it was a good choice of words.

However, I am beginning to feel increasingly uncomfortable with people being hung out to dry for very minor verbal blunders. If it was a rape joke or similar it would be different, but I don't think the word "menopausal" is in the same league at all.

Cynically, I think the way this is being treated has less to do with a sudden increase in respect for women, and more to do with politics. His real crime was talking down the economy/being less than enthusiastic about Brexit, but his enemies (and someone in his position will have them) are pretending to care about sexism instead.

The consequences for insensitive/offensive language are not exactly consistently applied (for eg what Boris Johnson gets away with).

"menopausal" is the word patriarchy uses for "no longer useful for patriarchy"

I think it was offensive but more than that, he is in a senior role in an industry (mine) that has a shockingly poor record in gender diversity and these kinds of throwaway comments reinforce the innate sexism that still exists. He should know better. He is being paid enough and he should not make mistakes like this in public. And his phrase adds ageism to sexism. I’m now operating a zero tolerance strategy at work (I’m approaching menopause which has the added advantage of no longer giving a shit about what people think, a poor attribute for an economy to have perhaps but awesome as a woman in a male workplace). I have recently had to pull people up on using the term “lowering the bar” in discussions related to gender pay gap and how to increase female representation at senior levels. The bar is reduced at the moment because success in the workplace is driven overwhelmingly by your sex at birth, your school and so on, it is not a meritocracy. Grrrrr.

I get what you mean, 'menopause' has a very specific meaning and relates only to female biology. It means, literally, 'the ceasing of female menstruation'. Nothing and no one else can be accurately described as 'menopausal'.

I liked this article in The Guardian;
www.theguardian.com/business/nils-pratley-on-finance/2018/may/16/menopausal-was-the-wrong-word-on-the-uk-economy

They were just now tearing him a new one on TalkRadio.

What upstart said (and others)

No earthly reason to mention menopause in relation to the economy

Its wasnt big and it wasnt clever

I'm more baffled by the comment than anything else - what was he actually trying to say? My experience of the perimenopause so far is that it is completely unpredictable and the experience is unique to every woman so... it's pretty useless as a comparison for anything . Cannot understand why the phrase even entered his head tbh.

The fact he used the term the way he did tells you a lot about what he really thinks about women of a certain age.
Now imagine you are one of those women working for him.
Dinosaur and fuckwit is what he is.

Just double-checked in the OED, and as we knew, just refers to cessation of menstruation in women...........Plus, starting in the 70's a whole bunch of 'male menopause' nonsense. Varied uses where it effectively means a bit crap and past it. Plus a really choice quote from Faulkner:
" It was winter again now, the long unbroken line from Alps to sea lying almost quiescent in mud's foul menopause."

Lovely!

So, no real reason to use it to describe the economy, whatever weird terms economists may use amongst themselves (and of course isn't sexist one teeny little bit!) . I'll admit, his explanation foxed me, but climateric was used by Germaine Greer. But that one isn't specific to women...................

I agree with the poster above, it's the way he used the word that is deeply offensive. I'm in the middle of menopause it's difficult challenging and changing me but there are huge positives as well as down sides. The usage here implied past it, useless not working at optimum levels, unable to perform properly, something to discard. Misogynistic and deeply offensive.

Presumably Ben Broadbent is very well-paid and well-advised; I can't believe he was so crap as to not give a bit of thought to his crap analogy before addressing a public forum.
I notice he didn't say the economy lacked virility, was starting to flag, go soft, was less than firm, only managing half-mast, not really penetrating...

Thanks foor the interesting replies. I will reflect...

I GOT BINGO! Despite them crapping on about sports I don’t play for the first 45m!

What was your meeting about speakingwoman ?

@LittleLebowski

Business.

Though you would have thought it was about sport!

Well, speaking as someone menopausal I'd say that being hot and assertive isn't such a bad thing

Yes. I was a bit crap. I think it shows what he thinks of women, and hot and assertive wasn't it

Using a woman's biological sex and age as the basis of an insult - how is that not problematic?

I may not be personally affected by, say a racist or homophobic insult but I hope I would still recognise it for what it was - and call it out.

guess I didn't think of it the way you're thinking of it Floisme.

A lot of people don't, op.

Possibly because I am menopausal this comment filled me with absolute rage.

Starflower oil someone was recommending me today

Apparently it stopped hot flushes etc in their tracks

Seemed a good a time as any to mention it

As a post menopausal woman I was not impressed at all. I wasn't surprised either, to use a word associated with the loss of a woman's reproductive use says so much about how the establishment (men) view women.

it's like anything isn't it - if it was a menopausal, or post-menopausal woman saying it, it would be very differently received to a bloke saying it.

Personally, I'm looking forward to menopause (realistically, I'm about 40, so familiarly, I have about 10 years) - not having to worry about pregnancy (well, except of course for the bit where you're not sure you're finished with menopause, which is hilarious [not]).

Men use menopausal as a euphemism for crazy because hysterical is too obvious these days.