EXCLUSIVE: Some 42% of women have taken time off because of period symptoms in the last year, while just under half (44%) have worked through symptoms for more than ten days, a study shows
Half of women say period symptoms have affected them at work in the last year – but only 16% have any support in place from their employer, new research shows.
The burden falls hardest on younger workers, with 80% of 18–24-year-olds and 73% of 25–34-year-olds report being affected by menstrual symptoms at work, new Survation polling shared with The Mirror has found.
Some 42% have taken time off because of symptoms in the last year, while just under half (44%) have worked through symptoms for more than ten days and 77% have done so on at least one day.
But only 16% of female employees have any support arrangement in place at work, according to the study commissioned for a report by the Autonomy Institute and the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Caucus (EDICa).
Asian (64%) and Black (59%) women reported higher rates of menstrual symptoms affecting work than White respondents (47%), yet are less likely to have access to support.
In January, then DWP minister Dame Diana Johnson, who is now a health minister, said the Government is aiming to ensure “current and future government advice” aligns with the British Standards Institution’s (BSI) guidance on menstruation, menstrual health and menopause in the workplace.
She added that, as part of Labour’s Employment Rights Act, the government “took the first step towards requiring large employers to publish an action plan detailing what steps they are taking to support employees through the menopause”.
The BSI’s guidance offers practical tools and adjustments to improve the well-being of affected individuals.
According to Survation’s survey, some 43% of respondents said they want support at work but do not have it, while 53% said their employer has no menstrual health or menopause policy at all.
Asked what would help them most to work at their best, respondents prioritised flexible working (40%), greater manager understanding (40%), hybrid or home working (34%), free period products (30%), access to a quiet or rest space (30%), a formal policy (29%) and additional sick leave (29%).
Researchers at the Autonomy Institute and EDICa recommended employers adopt a clear, publicised menstrual health and menopause policy, which embeds the needs of neurodivergent women and explicitly covers conditions including perimenopause, endometriosis, PMDD and heavy menstrual bleeding.
It also calls for mandatory line-manager training to be standard practice – including for male managers – covering how to have respectful conversations, what adjustments are available, and how to record absence without stigma.
Their report also recommends making flexible and hybrid working the default where roles allow, rather than something employees must justify requesting, as well as free period product provision in workplaces.
Professor Kate Sang, the principal investigator of EDICa, said: “Women’s health has long been neglected, with women suffering often unnecessarily. This research shows the negative impact ignoring menstrual health has on women, but also their employers and the wider economy. Urgent, evidence based, action is required to enable women to thrive at work, benefitting women’s health and well-being and the national economy.”
Dr Will Stronge, chief executive at the Autonomy Institute, said: “Half of female employees are being affected by menstrual or menopausal symptoms at work – and the vast majority are simply working through it, unsupported.
“The costs are borne through lost productivity, reduced retention, and disproportionately by younger workers and women of colour. These are mainstream labour market issues, and the gap between what employees need and what employers provide is striking. The solutions are not complicated or expensive – flexible working, manager training and national regulation. What’s missing is the will to act.”
Janet Lindsay, chief executive at Wellbeing of Women, said: “These findings show that many women are managing menstrual, perimenopausal and menopausal symptoms while continuing to work.
“Employers have an important opportunity to create supportive workplaces through open conversations, flexible support and clear policies. When women are supported to stay well at work, it’s good for women, good for business and good for the economy.”
A Government spokesman said: “We are committed to making sure women do not have to choose between their health and a successful career.
“That’s why we have improved Statutory Sick Pay and are ensuring employers accept flexible working requests where they are reasonable and feasible. Alongside this, our Women’s Employment Ambassador is working with employers to improve understanding and support for menstrual health conditions in the workplace.”
::: Survation polled a representative weighted sample of 1,025 female employees in the UK between May 2 and 4.