Menopausal staff ‘must be legally protected’

WOMEN going through the menopause should be given the same protection against discrimination as victims of racism, lawyers have told MPs.

The Discrimination Law Association (DLA) has called for specific legal protections for women who are experiencing the ‘change of life’.

The menopause should be treated as a ‘protected characteristic’ under the law, alongside sex, age, race and disability, the organisation said.

It means it would be easier for women to take legal action against their employers if they felt they were being discriminated against because they were going through the menopause. The proposals have been submitted to the Commons women and equalities committee, which has been scrutinising the issues faced by menopausal women in the workplace.

The DLA said the change should not be viewed as an ‘illness or impairment’ but as ‘part of a woman’s life cycle’.

A survey has revealed that more than a million menopausal women in the UK feel under pressure to quit their jobs because they are not getting the support they need at work.

The Commons committee is due to publish a report on the issue later this year.