Tackling Taboos: Putting Women’s Health on the Workplace Agenda

Imogen Crump and Grace Molloy

Words by Jo Stewart

With the movement for menstruation and menopause leave growing, when will homegrown media companies adopt progressive policies to support women’s reproductive health and prevent a brain drain of experience? 

When Imogen Crump appeared on ABC News Breakfast in November 2023, she didn’t expect to become a poster child for perimenopausal women.

“Having a hot flush live on telly wasn't my dream,” reflects Imogen, who works as the editor of Pursuit and Research at the University of Melbourne.

But have a hot flush she did, followed by a flurry of attention after the clip of her went viral on social media. This incident then kickstarted a conversation about managing perimenopausal and menopausal symptoms at work – something Imogen had been doing quietly for some time before that on-air moment of honesty catapulted the conversation into the spotlight.

For decades generations of women have silently soldiered on at work while managing menstruation, menopause, perimenopause, endometriosis, fibroids, polycystic ovaries and other reproductive health issues, but growing interest in the introduction of menstruation and menopause leave may indicate a sea change is on the horizon.  

A 2023 study by law firm Maurice Blackburn revealed what most women already know: 73% of respondents indicated that painful periods impacted their ability to focus and/or work performance. Recognising the impact that reproductive health issues can have on some women, organisations like Future Super and Victorian Women’s Trust introduced groundbreaking period and menopause leave policies in recent years.

Meanwhile, media companies in Australia are yet to come to the party, despite the industry employing large numbers of women.

As a highly skilled broadcast journalist with experience working for the ABC and BBC, Imogen is accustomed to processing a lot of information to make fast, smart decisions. Like many other women, brain fog is an unwelcome symptom she experiences at times.  

“Five days out of seven, I'm on the money. Then there'll be one day where I put my car keys in the fridge and call my youngest kid by five different names before I get to his. It’s frustrating when you're used to your brain being sharp,” Imogen explains.

She believes that workplaces need to make room for these experiences so that the careers and confidence of highly experienced, knowledgeable women aren’t impacted.

“I think the clarion call for a lot of these organisations is that some of the most experienced, savvy and decisive employees they have are perimenopausal and menopausal women. Losing that workforce is such a huge loss. It's a knowledge drain and it's an experience drain,” says Imogen, before adding: “It's also insulting that in 2025 more hasn't been done to keep women in the workforce.”

When Grace Molloy co-founded Menopause Friendly Australia three years ago, very few Australian workplaces had menopause on their radar. Since then she has participated in the first ever roundtable on menopause in Canberra and contributed to a Senate inquiry into menopause. The movement is gaining momentum with four Australian workplaces currently accredited and almost 50 committed to being accredited. And it’s not just companies employing large numbers of women that are interested in recognising the reproductive health issues of their staff.

“We’re collaborating with male-dominated industries like construction, defence and utilities, which are increasingly motivated to become menopause-friendly to attract and retain women,” Grace says.

While no media companies in Australia are currently accredited with the scheme, several in the United Kingdom are, including NielsenIQ and Reach, the UK’s largest commercial, national and regional news publisher. Outside of the scheme, some media companies are creating their own policies. New Zealand’s Pacific Media Network (PMN) introduced a menopause and menstrual leave policy in 2023 – the first organisation in the country to do so.

In Australia, Publicis Groupe has introduced menopause leave, while WPP Media has a menopause policy that aims to destigmatise conversations about menopause in the workplace.

Grace is optimistic that more and more organisations in Australia will recognise the benefits of supporting menopausal people in the workplace. 

“There is strong political will in Australia, and the union movement continues to advocate for additional entitlements for menopause, menstruation and reproductive health, which is unique to Australia’s agenda,” Grace explains.

Despite the conversation growing louder, some scepticism remains. Some people believe such leave reinforces negative gender stereotypes and may cause gendered disharmony in the workplace.

Concern that such policies may limit the career opportunities and progression of women in the workplace is another factor highlighted in a 2023 report released by Jean Hailes for Women’s Health which revealed more than three-quarters of women believed that employers would use menstrual and menopause leave as a reason to discriminate against women. A similar concern was raised when maternity leave was mandated in Australia in the 1970s.

With the media industry currently experiencing a magnitude of challenges resulting in tight budgets, women’s reproductive health leave may not be top-of-mind for senior leaders, but as someone who invertedly put women’s health on the national agenda, Imogen believes that it is her generation of women in media who are leading the charge for change.

“We're in a zeitgeist period when it comes to awareness and conversations about perimenopause and menopause. I like to think it's Gen X that's dragging us through this and refusing to be quiet about it,” Imogen shares. “There are people in all sorts of industries, from politics to education and the media, who are ensuring that this conversation moves forward.”

So what do you do if period pain, menopause or other reproductive health issues are impacting your ability to engage in work? Grace believes that hiding symptoms can worsen your anxiety at an already challenging time.

“Before raising it at work, do some preparation. Have a look on your organisation’s intranet for any policies or guidance on menopause. You might have an existing workplace flexibility policy. Familiarise yourself with what support is available. You might want to reach out to your EAP (Employee Assistance Program) if you’re experiencing mental health symptoms too,” says Grace.

Unsurprisingly, Imogen also believes that suffering in silence is no longer an option and being brave enough to challenge taboos will not only help you, but other women in media experiencing a “wild ride” with their hormones, saying:

“I think it all goes back to those conversations that can be awkward, but the more we have them, the less awkward they become. The taboo around movements for reproductive health is changing. It's not so secret anymore, and nor does it have to be.”

Free checklist to find out how menopause friendly your organisation is: https://menopausefriendly.au/home/how-menopause-friendly-is-your-organisation/