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Supporting change
Improved menopause guidelines could keep senior academics on the job .
By Emilie Lauer
Improved policies and communication around menopause at university could help tackle the loss of senior academics ’ expertise and recruit more women into leadership positions , an expert has said . Health and wellbeing researcher at Macquarie University professor Rebecca Mitchell said while menopause impacts women differently , physical and emotional changes can affect their careers .
“ One of the most threatening things that can happen to an academic scholar is brain fog . If you are not able to think clearly , there might be an interruption to your scholarly work ,” Mitchell said .
She said menopausal women also have a tendency to be more anxious and lose confidence in their abilities which prohibits them from applying for leadership positions .
Mitchell , who is currently conducting a three year study around menopause in the workplace , believes universities should produce more research and create better guidelines for the sector .
“ Universities are places of social action , they need to do more research but also take initiatives and have policies around menopause and ensure their work is visible for the rest of society .”
Mitchell joined Campus Review to discuss how menopause impacts women working in the sector .
CR : How is menopause currently managed in workplaces and more particularly in universities ? RM : It remains a sort of black hole , if you like . There ' s a wonderful paper that talks about women ' s three ‘ Ms ’, so that is maternity , menstruation and menopause .
We need to be supporting women as they progress .
I think we ' ve progressed a long way in terms of maternity and what that means for women and how organisations can support women . There is some work internationally , definitely in the UK predominantly , that looks at menstruation and is starting to look at menopause . But really , those areas are untouched . So , we ' re just left with these generic HR policies . So if you ' re feeling unwell , you can take some sick leave , you might want to step forward to your boss and ask for some support . But the problem is with menstruation and menopause , they ' re still socially a little bit taboo as well as within organisations in particular .
When you ' re talking professionally to your colleagues or your supervisor , there
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