Jennifer Millins, partner in Mishcon de Reya's Employment team, has been featured in an article published by the Canadian Bar Association's National Magazine, examining the impact of perimenopause and menopause on women in the legal profession.
The article, The 'pause and the profession', explores the challenges many women face in balancing careers with the often significant physical and cognitive effects of menopause, as well as the growing conversation around workplace support and accommodation. Jennifer shared her perspective on developments in the UK, where awareness of menopause in the workplace has increased significantly in recent years.
Commenting on the rise in menopause-related employment tribunal claims, Jennifer noted that while such claims still represent a relatively small proportion of cases overall, there has been a notable increase in recent years. She observed that this reflects broader cultural changes in the UK, stating: "There's been a huge movement over the last five years or so that's increased public awareness through media exposure about what women go through."
Jennifer also discussed the evolving expectations placed on employers, highlighting that the most significant developments are being driven not necessarily by legislative change, but by greater public awareness and scrutiny of how employers support women experiencing menopause in the workplace. She commented: "We're seeing a big change. Not necessarily in the statute books, but certainly in terms of public commentary and what that means for the government's expectations of what employers do for women in the workplace."
Read the article in full.