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.

I've noted that there is a nice long paragraph on gender reassignment discrimination and yet sex discrimination is right at the bottom and says very little.

Transwomen cannot experience menopause so cannot be discriminated against on the basis of menopause.

Trans men can experience menopause and can be discriminated against on the basis of menopause but this would be sex discrimination, not gender reassignment discrimination. So it is entirely misrepresenting the law to say that gender reassignment has anything to do with discrimination on the basis of menopause.

I'm having a spectacularly shitty day,and am stuck at home,so have responded again and will keep commenting as often as I can. It'll pass the time.....

So, is the corollary to my reduced risk of menopause (now down to 50% from c100%) that I have now got a 50% risk of prostate issues?

I'm not sure I feel better or worse off really!

Have commented also! Though I may be tempted to put some more comments later

Honestly, reading it reminded me of one of those (Scottish?) sword dances, where they have the crossed swords on the floor and do all the complicated footwork while avoiding stepping on them. The complicated dance they do to avoid any mention of the taboo words - not only "women", but "periods" and "menstruation" (the entire reason we have menopause, as well as of course "hormones")...can you imagine them trying to describe the symptoms? "Well, you may get dryness in your... area, and people above this age should get their.....chest...screened regularly, and people who have had....part of their insides...removed may experience...the feeling-hot-and-getting-angry thing... earlier than others..."

Thanks for the thread. I’ve filled in two far. It is indeed very cathartic. Unfortunately the NHS link is due to be updated soon. I imagine the words woman and women will be purged.

I fed back on the ACAS page asking if they'd considered people with SENs or ESL and to stop being so silly.

I enjoyed that.

"It's important for employers to be aware that the menopause and its symptoms can affect any of their staff at any time"

Absolute bollocks.

I too lamented the lack of a descriptive word to describe the 50% of the population affected.

I too lamented the lack of a descriptive word to describe the 50% of the population affected.

We are way past that. A descriptive word to describe cessation of menstruation and fertility seems beyond them.

I have given feedback but I still feel so cross about this. ACAS set guidance for employers and the words they use matter.

I know they are a government body, but who are they accountable too? I would like to take this higher up.

www.acas.org.uk/about-us/how-we-are-governed

They are an agency under BEIS but the BEIS webpage says that any complaints about one of their agencies must be directed through that agency's own complaints process.

So if you want to make a formal complaint (I have as they are misrepresenting the law) here is the form www.acas.org.uk/how-to-complain

I made a formal complaint after I left the feedback.

@MrsFin

"It's important for employers to be aware that the menopause and its symptoms can affect any of their staff at any time"

Absolute bollocks.

To be fair, my husband has been adversely affected by peri menopause!!!

Thank you. I will definitely complain.

I've just looked at this again and women are now included on the first page. Did I miss this yesterday, or have they actually changed the wording? As a result of all our feedback? Am I being too hopeful?

@NecessaryScene

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?

That’s a tricky one, I always assumed that the risk factors were pretty much based on having a XX chromosomes, a uterus and ovaries, but now I’ m not so sure, seems having a penis and feelings can also make you vulnerable to menopausal symptoms.

Golly. If only there were a way of identifying which 50% of the population. I mean, there must be some kind of way of figuring this out...

They have already changed it! Who says writing doesn't work?

Go vipers!

Hmm, that's better though still not great (you can see how they've lobbed the word "women" in but not done a full review, so it now suggests for example that "intersex" people who experience menopause are not women). I still hope Janice Turner, James Kirkup etc will write about it though, just the fact this made it onto the web in the first place is shocking! Did anyone manage to archive the original version?

It is marginally better.

I still don't know why "intersex" needs to be on there, why would an employer know if someone had an intersex condition?

@ahagwearsapointybonnet

Hmm, that's better though still not great (you can see how they've lobbed the word "women" in but not done a full review, so it now suggests for example that "intersex" people who experience menopause are not women). I still hope Janice Turner, James Kirkup etc will write about it though, just the fact this made it onto the web in the first place is shocking! Did anyone manage to archive the original version?

The original will be available on The Wayback Machine website. You just choose the date you want to go back to.

It is good that they responded so quickly though I suppose, and that they got enough feedback to make them change it!

It's not perfect but I think we can consider this a minor victory. The power of mumsnet!

They still talk about "sex assigned at birth" though 🙄

I'm pleased to see that it now says that the list of people affected "can include women". Huh.

I was going to submit my comment too, but I'll have to reword it now somehow. It still makes it sound like a lottery as to who gets it or not, but it's harder to complain specifically now.