The Change - A Reclamation

'The Change' was a term I heard occasionally in hushed tones when I was growing up.

It seemed like a more 'palatable' way to present something that was largely unspoken for generations of women. Shrouded in taboo and with an unsavoury aftertaste, there was a pervasive sense that this transition was not something to relish.

We are now (thankfully) more accustomed to voicing the terms 'perimenopause' and 'menopause' - though still often inferring a highly inconvenient and disruptive physical and emotional experience that cannot be easily defined in words (let's face it, we lost most of them in an oestrogen vacuum somewhere).

And while it's great to see more open conversations about the medical facets and the avenues to explore to navigate the plethora of physical sensations in the body, there is still something of a void when it comes to orienting the impact of such a seismic internal transition. This can leave women feeling unmoored and out of sync with a societal construct that favours man-made linear trajectories over the natural, cyclical nature of life.

Fortune magazine reported last year that menopause stigma impedes women's career growth. According to an annual State of Menopause Report by Bonafide, "4 in 5 women say we need to talk about menopause more and 76% said they had no workplace accommodations for menopause."

The pinnacle of a woman's career appears to overlap with the perimenopausal phase, which can begin in mid-forties and traverse a solid decade. According to the report, 49% of women polled said menopause had impacted their job performance.

Traditional work cultures of rigid hours and prescriptive approaches to productivity do little to support the midlife transition as it is viewed as something to 'grin and bear' or to mask and deny. We don't make space for healthy conversations about the need to scan for accessibility to a toilet in the experience of unanticipated heavy flow, or when the rising anxiety and imposter syndrome associated with perimenopause takes hold.

The Employment Rights Bill, published in October 2024, includes a provision that could require employers with more than 250 employees to develop equality action plans. These must demonstrate the steps employers are taking in relation to gender equality, including support provided for employees going through the menopause.

While policy is s-l-o-w-l-y catching up, there are support mechanisms that could easily be introduced within the workplace and across communities as a whole, to enable supportive, collaborative conversations to explore the reality of the experience of perimenopause and menopause and how we might begin to make sense of this period of profound change.

'The Change' was arguably a presentable term to nod vaguely in the direction of a natural period of transformation into a new phase in a woman's life, yet rarely does it acknowledge the possibilities harnessed in this experience. We often pathologise phases of physical and emotional change, simply because they don't conform to the often 'containing', immovable scaffolding of Western society. This is explored more in my conversation with specialist core and pelvic floor coach, Sarahjane West-Watson, as featured in an article by G&J The Edit.

Perhaps there is an opportunity for reclamation here? Not only is there an invitation to redefine 'The Change' on our own terms, but there's a gateway opening up to start a conversation that allows exploration in boardrooms, offices, communities and living rooms so it is less of a chapter to endure, and more an opportunity to turn towards with open curiosity.

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I'm Nat and I'm a Wellbeing & Change Coach, providing 1-1 compassionate support to purpose-driven leaders. Pop me a line to chat more via natalienuttallpr@gmail.com