World Menopause Day
October 18 is World Menopause Day, created to increase awareness and reduce the stigma around menopause. Despite how many people have gone, are going, or will go through menopause, the condition remains poorly understood. Luckily, there’s a lot that we can do to improve the working lives of those who experience it — and Partille is leading the way.
Menopause involves gradual hormonal changes that can last for years, affecting a person’s physical, mental, emotional, and social wellbeing. These changes occur most frequently between the ages of 45 and 55, when most people who menstruate are at the end of their reproductive period. Typical symptoms of menopause, such as hot flashes, difficulty sleeping, and changes in mood, can have a significant impact on the quality of one’s professional life, especially in workplaces without menopause-specific policies or education.
Two years ago, Partille launched a menopause health initiative targeting women aged 40–60. The first of its kind in Sweden, the initiative was designed to provide education and support for municipality employees. All Partille Kommun employees in the target group were offered free informational talks about menopause, bookable one-on-one support from specialist nurses, and referrals to primary care providers as needed, all available during paid working hours. Additionally, managers working for the municipality were given training to raise their awareness around menopause.
‘It is gratifying that our investment is showing positive results. It confirms that we did the right thing when we were brave politically in prioritising and allocating resources to the initiative. Our goal was to raise awareness regarding menopause and to reduce sick leave, which we are now seeing results on. Our initiative has received a lot of attention and has put Partille on the map and contributed to an increased focus on menopause in other municipalities, regions and companies/organisations’, says Marith Hesse, Chairman of the Municipal Executive Board in Partille.
So far, the initiative has been a resounding success. Partille Kommun has seen a decline in sick leave among women aged 40–60, which previously had higher rates than other age groups. Not only have participants in the initiative reported higher levels of understanding around menopause, but also higher levels of comfort with openly discussing menopause in the workplace. No wonder the initiative was recently awarded Partille Kommun’s 2024 Ambassador Prize.
‘We can see that sickness absence has fallen by 1 percentage point, which means that in addition to women feeling better, the municipality has reduced its costs by about SEK 3 million’, adds Marith Hesse.
This is an inspiring illustration of what organisations can achieve when they take concrete steps to be more inclusive of those experiencing menopause. Partille Kommun’s efforts to raise awareness and reduce stigma around menopause have paid off, benefitting first the individual participants, then the municipality as an employer, and finally the community as a whole.
’To address the issue of inclusion, it’s vital to look to role models who demonstrate success and also to remember that we can borrow ideas from across sectors and industries. Partille Kommun’s efforts around menopause are a perfect example, and that’s why we highlight actors like this in the Rewrite the Code toolkit’, says Brittany Van Dyk, WITGBG Partnerships Manager and member of the Rewrite the Code team.
To learn more about what concrete steps your organisation can take to improve inclusion, please visit the Rewrite the Code toolkit.
About Rewrite the Code: An initiative of Women in Tech Gothenburg, Rewrite the Code is a toolkit full of resources and tips for creating more inclusive and innovative workplaces in tech. Co-created for the industry by the industry, the beta toolkit covers four main areas — (1) working culture, (2) equal opportunities and pay, (3) health-related aspects, and (4) physical workplace.