World menopause day for 50% of people

[OhDear2200]

This has pissed me right off

www.acas.org.uk/menopause-at-work

Interestingly under the law bit gender reassignment is before sex.

How utterly nonsensical and absurd- I've also given them feedback.

Have I missed something? It goes into enough detail to mention three stages of menopause and trans and intersex people, but doesn’t explain what the menopause is.

It’s ACAS. They have made their stands perfectly clear about w before.

"I'm 5'6" and have a BMI of 27. Am I one of the people at risk of suffering the effects of the menopause?"

It goes into enough detail to mention three stages of menopause and trans and intersex people, but doesn’t explain what the menopause is.

Nor does it offer any recommendations on how to avoid it. Come on, let's have some health/lifestyle tips, at least? Or are risk factors totally unknown?

From the article:

trans women might experience menopause symptoms if their hormone therapy treatment is interrupted or levels are unstable

While employers should be sensitive to symptoms experienced by anyone undergoing medical treatment, these will not be symptoms of menopause.

I sent a comment, DH is currently sending his - he’s been typing for a while now, so that’s two more from this sofa.

Oh poor Acas, what have I started?

Let’s just hope the press doesn’t lock this up. Because that could be embarrassing (even for them)

@merrymouse

From the article:

trans women might experience menopause symptoms if their hormone therapy treatment is interrupted or levels are unstable

While employers should be sensitive to symptoms experienced by anyone undergoing medical treatment, these will not be symptoms of menopause.

This is a good point. Menopause is defined as when a woman doesn't have periods for 12 months. It is medically impossible for a man to have periods so men cannnot come within the definition of menopause. So this webpage from Acas is both medically and legally misleading.

Sex is a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010. Discriminating against an employee going through the menopause will come under sex discrimination. It is completely misleading and wrong in law for Acas to say that transwoman can experience the menopause.

Specific conditions that only affect women now also seem to be taboo, so ‘menstruator’ becomes bleeder and menopause refers to any fluctuation in hormones, synthetic or otherwise.

Only on the lips of fools. Grown ups use correct languages.

@KittenKong

Only on the lips of fools. Grown ups use correct languages.

ACAS are supposed to be grownups. It’s pretty much their job.

Sex is a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010. Discriminating against an employee going through the menopause will come under sex discrimination. It is completely misleading and wrong in law for Acas to say that transwoman can experience the menopause.

If transwomen can experience it, then it wouldn't be sex discrimination any more.

Cases have already been lost in the US on this basis (re breastfeeding, as I recall).

Cases have already been lost in the US on this basis (re breastfeeding, as I recall).

Canada I think, and it wasn't even about "trans men" it was the fact that a tiny number of males can lactate. How much more of a justification would there be now?

It's so unnecessary for them to lump transgender people's issues with cross sex hormones under "menopause". That can be covered under GR discrimination.

It's pure colonisation and pushing of female erasure for political reasons. Who has their claws into ACAS?

Here's another one, not mentioning trans but again pretty light on the word "woman":

www.burnesspaull.com/insights-and-events/news/menopause-in-the-workplace-making-small-changes-to-support-your-star-players

merrymouse That may be, but then you read their words in the voice of the Haribo adverts, it makes more sense.

I’ve also sent a comment.
It’s absolutely chilling to see the erasure of the word woman.

@TheFnozwhowasmirage

I've commented that they seem to have forgotten the name for the 51% of the population who will go through the menopause. The word that they are looking for is 'women'.

I've commented similar.

By clicking on the link I have now sent about 10 or 12 concerned responses, well ok, some were concerned responses, some were thinly veiled rage, some were naked rage. I think I have found a new hobby.

@Sickoffamilydrama

I've actually just pointed out that for people with learning difficulties it's discriminatory not saying the word women means that someone doesn't know it's about them. My autistic daughter (who also has "mild" learning difficulties) certainly wouldn't be able to tell.

It always pisses me off that so much effort is being made for a small less than 1% minority but SEN diagnoses are about 1 in 10 and it's basically ignored 🙄

You make an excellent point. This would also be confusing for men with SEN who may well read this and worry that they are at risk (I know a couple of young men who think very literally and would read this as saying they have a 50:50 chance of getting the menopause- they would not understand the silent subtext that of course the majority actually bloody all as the rest suffer hormonal problems due to something else of the 50% will be a class of people too complicated to name in writing but known to them as women.

Also, as another pp identified, they say menopause affects around half the population. Then the list of who can be affected includes those going through the menopause plus people supporting them and a few others. So surely this means that the 50% affected includes those supporting someone going through the menopause. So if we assume that everyone going through the menopause is supported by one person, the percentage of the population who will going through the menopause themselves must be about 25% to make the maths work. This would mean that I am one of the unlucky 25%. [clearly I know this is not what they meant, but it is the logical conclusion and once again minimises something that women experience]

Pissed off comments submitted

By including symptoms experienced by trans women they seem to be implying that menopause means symptoms caused by any fluctuation in hormones, regardless of sex. So many words used to give so little information.

It is cathartic isn't it? Acas I'd publishing inaccurate and misleading information. Trans women do not menstruate and therefore cannot cease menstruating, which is the very definition of menopause (clue is in the "meno" part of "menopause"). Trans woman may very well experience side effects from taking sex hormones but that has nothing to do with the menopause.

It's crazy that men are even coming after the menopause now and wanting to claim it for themselves 🙄

@NecessaryScene

Sounds pretty bad though about the menopause. Are any countries doing better than our 50% stat?