Menopause Matters Symposium

Written by Sally Eales 

To coincide with the International Day of Action for Women's Health, the Menopause Matters Symposium - Towards a greater understanding of menopause in academia was held at the ANU on 27 May in the RSSS auditorium. Designed to tackle one of the workplace's most overlooked equity issues, the event, funded by the Gender Institute, brought together academics, clinicians, advocates and policy makers to illuminate the critical need for menopause awareness in professional environments.

A Hidden Career Issue

Menopause represents a significant yet largely invisible issue in today's workplaces. Women typically experience menopause between the ages of 45-55, although it can start earlier and last longer, nevertheless it often occurs when women are at the peak of their career. Research indicates that many women either leave the workforce or do not attempt promotion during this time, not because they lack capability, but simply because they lack adequate support to manage symptoms that can include hot flushes, sleep disruption, cognitive changes, and mood fluctuations plus a host of other physical symptoms. These departures represent not just a personal loss, but a significant drain on workplace knowledge and experience. This is exacerbated by broader issues within healthcare provision. Women experiencing menopause often face misdiagnosis or dismissal of their symptoms, leading to periods of inadequate treatment.

The policy landscape around menopause support remains patchy at best. While some organisations have begun implementing comprehensive menopause policies, many workplaces do not treat it as an equity issue. However, gradually more organisations, including several universities in the UK, have recognised that menopause support requires the same approach as other diversity and inclusion initiatives, including mandatory manager training, flexible work arrangements, and access to appropriate resources and support.

The Symposium

The ANU symposium, co-organised by Sally Eales from POLIS and Bernie Baffour, CASS associate dean of inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility, emerged from the recognition that menopause deserves the same attention as other workplace equity issues. The event aimed to raise awareness, address stigma, and initiate meaningful conversations about workplace support systems.

The event was opened by CASS Dean, Professor Bronwyn Parry who welcomed the audience and speakers and contextualised the discussion within broader biological and social frameworks, noting that humans are among very few mammals who live long enough to experience menopause.

The symposium featured a lineup of speakers who addressed various aspects of understandings around menopause. Professor Christine Phillips, a clinician and researcher at ANU, discussed the symptoms of menopause and explored the critical issues of diagnosis and misdiagnosis, highlighting how medical understandings directly impact women and their workplace needs. 

Theona Gevorgian from the university's safety and wellbeing team generously shared her own personal experience of menopause and outlined existing institutional support and resources within ANU.  

Dr Monique Hayes from the Canberra Menopause Centre expanded the conversation to include holistic approaches and community resources, emphasising that effective workplace support often requires partnerships with external services. 

Chiaka Barry, Shadow Minister for Women, brought a policy perspective, addressing the unique challenges faced by migrant women navigating menopause. Her insights revealed how cultural, linguistic, and systemic barriers can compound the difficulties of accessing appropriate support.

After this, there was a short break for morning tea, with catering provided by As You Like It Café from The Street Theatre, to accompany lively conversation and foster connections between the participants. Then followed a 50-minute panel discussion featuring earlier speakers plus Emerita Professor Heather Booth from Demography at ANU and Dr Rosa O'Kane from the Canberra Menopause Centre. This session included a Q&A with the audience and created space for attendees’ personal stories and experiences. Professor Fiona Jenkins from the Gender Institute provided concluding remarks, situating the day's discussions within the broader framework of gender equity and reflecting on the need for continued commitment to addressing this overlooked issue.

The overwhelmingly positive feedback received afterwards has affirmed a genuine need to continue these conversations. We are hopeful that the event's positive reception will create space for ongoing dialogue about what workplace menopause support might look like at ANU - ideally leading to the development of policies that allow for workplace accommodations, flexible working arrangements and meaningful progress in acknowledging workplace equity issues that have long remained invisible.

As Theona Gevorgian, discussed in her presentation, menopause support is available for women navigating menopause-related workplace challenges or who just want more information about this transition in life. The presentation slides containing links to resources both at ANU and externally is available here or contact injurymanagement@anu.edu.au to discuss individual circumstances and access appropriate support.

The Future

As a fair and equitable workplace, we need to be better at understanding, demystifying and destigmatising menopause. We hope that the symposium will show that by simply creating space for previously unheard conversations to take place small important changes can begin to happen.