'It's normal' — Leading gender advocacy group encourages Singaporeans to talk about menopause
SINGAPORE: Over the past week, one of Singapore’s main gender and equality advocacy groups has been posting on social media about menopause, calling for it to be spoken about out loud, since, after all, it is something that half of humanity will experience at some point.
The Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE) wrote on Nov. 5, “Menopause is normal. It's only as ‘embarrassing’ as we allow it to be.”
The group pointed out that many of the normal bodily functions of females have suffered under labels such as “dirty” and “shameful.”
Menopause also carries a similar stigma, made worse by a lack of knowledge on the topic, as well as poor views of women as they age.
Additionally, “workplace cultures that do not forgive lapses in productivity.”
Therefore, AWARE advocated for breaking the silence and making talking about menopause normal whether at home, work, or other spaces.
In the post, AWARE cited 6 in 10 workers as saying that stigma prevents them from talking openly about menopause, leading many to manage its symptoms, which can be considerable and may need medical intervention. While the average age of menopause in Singapore is 49, women may start having symptoms in their 30s or 40s, and wth 7 out of 10 women saying that menopause affects their lives deeply, treatment should be a viable option.
On Tuesday (Nov 10), AWARE posted tips for discussing menopause at work.
“Menopause is a life-changing experience for many employees. So be sure to know how to talk to them about it respectfully,” the group said.
Here are some of the DOs:
Listen without judgment.
Point people to credible sources rather than offering medical information yourself.
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Encourage medical consultation with healthcare professionals.
Normalise the conversation.
Use destigmatising language.
Create psychologically safe spaces for dialogue
On the other hand, here are some things that the group calls absolute don’ts:
Dismiss or minimise symptoms.
Make jokes or comments about menopause.
Speculate about whether a friend or colleague is menopausal.
Repeat what someone shares to anyone without their agreement.
Assume everyone experiences menopause the same way.
Pressure women to disclose personal details.
Frame accommodations as 'special treatment'
AWARE also posted a link to the Menopause Care Playbook, which helps create a supportive workplace and can be found here. /TISG
Read also: ‘SG, we are all Jane Doe’: AWARE calls on Singaporeans to stand in solidarity with US student