PEOPLE & PLANET
This obviously impacts the organisation as well as those women . If ignored , companies will lose top female talent and have profitability impacted . When properly acknowledged and addressed , they will retain experienced executives and find it easier to attract talent .
Menopause is estimated to affect one billion women globally . When you consider that an independent survey by Opinium , commissioned by Vodafone , found that 62 % of those experiencing menopause symptoms said it impacted them at work , we can begin to understand the scale of the support required .
Not only that , 94 % of women say they would benefit from wider society being more open to discussing menopause , according to Gen M ’ s Invisibility Report .
So how are companies in the Middle East responding ? For starters , they are changing the very definition of the term ‘ menopause ’ in Arabic from ‘ age of despair ’ to ‘ age of renewal ’.
“ Menopause shouldn ’ t be a taboo subject and should be encouraged to be discussed openly in the workplace ,” says Cheryl Thornton , C-Suite HR and member of the Chartered Institute
GCC countries have understood the importance of female participation in the workplace to drive economic growth , which is the first step towards progress
Cheryl Thornton C-Suite HR and member of the CIPD Middle East Advisory Committee
62 January 2024