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Dundee University Supports National Menopause Campaign

The University of Dundee is supporting a national campaign aimed at normalising menopause.

Building on the success of its ongoing Period Power Project, the University is backing the Menopause Awareness Ribbon Campaign, launched by Perth charity Menopause Café during the ‘World Menopause Month’ of October.

The campaign signals a willingness to talk about the life transition and reduce the stigma and shame often associated with it.

Since its formation in 2017, the Menopause Café charity has sparked a global movement of informal ‘cafes’ worldwide, where people of all ages and genders get together either at work or in the community to discuss menopause.   Last year, with support from the charity, over 360 Menopause Cafes were held worldwide, from the UK and USA to Chile, Zambia, Bahrain and Portugal, empowering more than 3,600 participants to get talking.

By supporting the campaign and making ribbons available to their staff and students, the University hopes to encourage conversation and smash stigmas. The ribbons are available for anyone to pick up, located within various departments and foyers throughout the campus.

They were also made available to those who attended the Menopause Café on Friday 18 October, World Menopause Day, when Dr Hannah Went from Tay Wellbeing presented a session on  ‘Wellbeing during (Peri)Menopause’.

men cafe dundee uni

Sinead Mckinlay, Community Development Worker (front, seated, right) with colleagues following Friday’s event. Image supplied.

The University is also hosting a staff training session for managers and others in November. The event will highlight the Menopause Policy, which aims to ensure that staff suffering from menopause symptoms feel confident discussing it and asking for support.

Sinead Mckinlay, Community Development Worker within the University’s Student Services team, manages the campus-wide Period Power Project, which aims to make period products free for everyone at the point of use.

Sinead said, “Our Period Power Project has made a huge impact across the university, but there’s more to it than simply handing out free products and encouraging the use of reusable products. To spark any cultural change across a community, we need to engage a wider group and run activities that encourage discussion and openness.

“We want to support both those going through the perimenopause and menopause and the individuals managing and employing these workers. By making the ribbons available, we can encourage and normalise more conversation around the topic and slowly destigmatise what can still be a taboo subject.

“It’s shocking  that many skilled and experienced employees leave their jobs because of their symptoms, coupled with not feeling justified or supported in raising them.  Through our Menopause Policy and support of awareness campaigns like this, we want to support and retain our diverse, global community  and create a culture where they can speak up and ask for support.”

Rachel Weiss, Founder of the Menopause Café charity, added, “Because of debilitating symptoms like hot flushes and poor concentration, many women go part-time, avoid promotions or leave their jobs. When they downgrade or even abandon their careers, the gender pay and pension gaps widen.

Rachel Weiss

Rachel Weiss. Credit – Christopher Young.

“Through the Menopause Awareness Ribbon Campaign, we want to normalise conversations about menopause, which affects half of the world’s population and impacts the other half.  It’s also about creating a more inclusive and diverse workforce.  Employees going through menopause have amassed significant life and work experience. We need to celebrate the skills and attributes that people of all ages bring to the workforce.”

Along with making the ribbons available for sale to businesses and retail spaces, the charity has launched a social media campaign featuring videos from high-profile supporters nationwide, calling for audiences to ‘support the cause: Menopause’. Order a box of Menopause Awareness ribbons or  single ribbons from www.menopausecafe.org

ENDS