Marvin OnumonuThe Policy Liaison Group on Workplace Wellbeing met in Parliament to discuss problems around women’s health at work.
The roundtable brought together MPs, experts and business leaders to look at issues like menstrual health, fertility, miscarriage, menopause, and unpaid care.
The group said ignoring these areas affects productivity, staff morale, and equality at work.
Gethin Nadin, chair of the Policy Liaison Group, said: “With the Government’s review of parental leave on the horizon, now is the moment to embed women’s health into national workplace practice.
“From reducing the gender pay gap to boosting economic growth, supporting women at work is not only a moral imperative, it also delivers clear economic benefits for businesses and the broader economy.”
Dr Beccy Cooper, MP for Worthing West, said: “We can legislate and create policy directives, but real change will depend on how effectively we embed support and wellbeing into workplace culture.
“Women’s health is not just a workplace issue, it’s a public health issue.
“We cannot close the gender pay gap or boost productivity without making menstrual health, fertility, pregnancy loss, menopause, and overall wellbeing a normal, supported part of everyday working life.”
Cooper added that health issues for women have a knock-on effect on partners, children and families, especially for those balancing work, parenting and care for older relatives.
The group is preparing new employer duty of care guidelines.
It said line manager training and better HR practices were low cost and could help straight away.
Kate Usher, founder of Menopause in Business, said: “Although we’re starting to talk about menopause more openly in society, in many workplaces it still sits in the shadows.
“Women who speak up about it are too often belittled, turned into jokes, or quietly sidelined.
“That has to stop — because at the very moment women are at their peak capability, we’re making it harder for them to stay.”
Usher added: “We absolutely must find ways to support women through menopause if we want to keep them in the workforce.
“Once they leave, it’s incredibly hard to step back in — and we cannot afford to lose this fastest-growing segment of employees.
“These women are vital, experienced, and ready to contribute — but only if we make space for them to thrive.”
Joanne Newman, wellbeing consultant for the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), said: “I genuinely fear for the health of my female colleagues as they try, quite literally, to manage everything — full-time work, family responsibilities, aging parents, children with additional needs, all while navigating hormonal and gender-related health challenges.
“The demands of modern life have accelerated beyond recognition, but we remain the same physiological and psychological beings as we were eons ago.
“It’s no wonder we’re seeing rising levels of stress, anxiety, overwhelm, poor sleep and ill health in women across the workforce – which, in turn, means reduced performance and productivity, both for those individuals and for the organisations they work for.”
Newman added: “I don’t think awareness campaigns and flexible working requests go far enough, we need to get more radical.
“A four-day working week would be a game-changer, especially for women carrying such immense invisible loads.
“The 40-hour work week was created for a wholly different society, and it simply doesn’t align with the world we live in today.”
The Policy Liaison Group said it will publish new employer guidelines soon, aiming to set clear and inclusive standards so women are not left behind at work.
