Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the Speaker of the House of Commons, has signed a pledge to make the House of Commons “menopause friendly” for workers.
Employers who sign the pledge agree to support employees going through menopause by offering fans or flexible work schedules, for example.
Sir Lindsay claimed that women ran his office and that he did not want to see them go due to menopause.
More than 600 organisations, including the civil service, Tesco, and John Lewis, have joined the Menopause Workplace Pledge, which was developed by the Wellbeing of Women charity.
It requires employers to recognise that women going through menopause may want assistance and to discuss the topic honestly and respectfully.
Hot flushes, sleeplessness, mood swings, and osteoporosis are all symptoms of menopause.
Sir Lindsay has stated that he believes that simple changes could make life easier for people who work in Parliament. Menopause awareness activities might be held, and employees could request breathable clothes.
The Speaker, speaking at a parliamentary function, said that when Carolyn Harris urged him to sign the pledge, he “had no option,” portraying the Labour MP as “a force to be reckoned with.” Ms.
Harris, a long-time campaigner on the issue, expressed her delight at seeing the pledge signed, saying she was “choked and honoured.”
She stated that menopausal women working in Parliament now had “a structure in place to look after them, which is great.”
The promise being signed in Parliament, according to broadcaster Mariella Frostrup, will send out a message that menopause is “no longer a toxic, terrible secret.”
The signing came at the end of a day of lobbying in Parliament, where activists such as Ms Frostrup and TV presenter Penny Lancaster urged the government to take HRT for menopausal treatment free in England, as it is in Scotland and Wales. Ms.
Frostrup spoke in favour of eliminating the fees, saying that “no woman should be priced out of her sanity.”
Maria Caulfield, the Minister for Health, has stated that she has a “laser focus” on improving the experience of women going through menopause and that measures to make HRT more affordable will be implemented next year.
