For many women, periods are unfortunately a part of life that can cause a wide range of issues. The physical effects vary for each woman, but can lead to workplace absences and difficulties carrying out work tasks.
To find out more about the effects of periods on women in the workplace, Forth polled 1,000 women in the UK aged between 18 and up who aren’t using HRT, hormonal birth control, or gel. They asked women about their symptoms and experiences, and whether their periods have caused them to miss work.
The results were shocking and highlighted a clear issue in the workplace when it comes to women’s health. In terms of symptoms affecting their ability to work, a reported 16% said that they found work fairly difficult, and 6% found work very difficult during their period.
Forth say 55% of the women they surveyed had missed work due to their period symptoms, of which 15% had taken two days off and 20% had missed three days. Despite being such a commonly-experienced phenomenon, the response to women’s period struggles in the workplace was disappointing.
Of the women surveyed, Forth reported 60% said they had been forced to attend a disciplinary hearing due to workplace absence, and a staggering 51% had even lost their job due to their period affecting their work. Overall, the survey found that women didn’t feel comfortable discussing the reason for their absence with their managers, with only 27% being open with their manager about their period symptoms causing issues at work.
Amongst those that didn’t talk to their manager, reasons included:
They felt it was a private matter: 47%
They felt it wouldn’t be taken seriously: 42%
They felt embarrassed or ashamed: 35%
They felt they would be judged poorly by their manager: 22%
They are the only woman on their team and felt like it won’t be accepted: 12%
Sadly, the survey highlighted that a stigma still exists around periods and that this is having a negative impact on women in the workplace who may be suffering from painful or uncomfortable side symptoms.
