Labor has backed the Greens’ motion to enact a Senate inquiry into the impacts of menopause and perimenopause.
The inquiry would look into how people who menstruate are significantly impacted – health wise and financially – during the biological life stages. The Senate would also investigate the effects on the broader economy in Australia.
Senator Larissa Waters, the Greens leader in the Senate and the spokesperson for women, said it’s time for the needs of women to be heard and listened to.
“People experiencing physically and mentally debilitating menopause and perimenopause symptoms have for too long been forced to suffer in silence,” Senator Waters said.
“Women are sick of being invisible and their health needs neglected. We need good policy to address the economic, social and health impacts of peri and menopause.”
Around 32 per cent of women in Australia are currently experiencing symptoms they attribute to menopause, which severely affects day-to-day life for at least one quarter of Australian women aged between 45-64, according to data from Jean Hailes.
While menopause tends to happen between the ages of 45-60, perimenopause can begin as early as your 30s and last up to ten years.
“The financial impact of this can be profound, for women, as well as their employers and the economy, as many women at the peak of their career are leaving the workforce,” Senator Waters said.
More than 70 per cent of women going through menopause are employed, but research from Macquarie University estimates around 10 per cent of women leave work prematurely as a result of severe symptoms.
Menopause costs female workers more than $17 billion each year in lost salary and superannuation and can cost Australian businesses more than $10 billion annually, according to the Macquarie Business School.
Senator Waters said the solution to this gendered “financial burden” is evidence-based policies, including paid leave entitlements for people who experience painful periods and menopause. This can start with the Senate inquiry.
“Unions have already started campaigning on this issue, proposing a policy to give employees who have painful periods or menopause symptoms paid leave — similar to the family and domestic violence leave policy,” Senator Waters said.
“We also need more awareness both by GPs and by patients of the symptoms of peri and menopause, so that people know what treatments are available to them, and make them affordable.”
Senator Waters will move to establish the inquiry next week when parliament resumes. Once the inquiry is underway, women, health professionals, employers and experts will have the opportunity to submit and participate in the inquiry.
Last week, the NSW Government launched the Perimenopause and Menopause Toolkit, a free resource to raise awareness in culturally and linguistically diverse communities.
The launch of the toolkit is part of a $37.3 million campaign over four years to improve access to advice and support for people experiencing severe symptoms of menopause.
PHOTO CREDIT: Supplied – Senator Larissa Waters