Nearly one in three UK women expect to leave work before they plan to retire, with many citing health, wellbeing or menopause concerns as reasons for their potential early departures.
Twenty-nine per cent of women in the UK polled for a British Standards Institution (BSI) report said they were likely to leave the workforce early for reasons other than personal choice.
Two-fifths of this cohort expected this to be due to their health and wellbeing, while a further fifth specifically cited menopause as a barrier to staying in work longer.
The majority (75%) of UK women wanted employers to take more action to retain older female workers, while 71% said politicians needed to drive this change.
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The attraction and retention of workers aged 50 and over is a major element of the government’s labour strategy, with the introduction of ‘returnerships‘ announced in the Budget earlier this year.
A recent survey by Aviva found only one in 10 employers offered specific support for retaining employees over 50 years of age.
Kate Field, global head of health, safety and wellbeing at BSI, said: “There are clearly many reasons women decide not to stay in the workplace, and when that is a genuine choice that should be celebrated.
“However, the data shows there are those who would like to remain in work and would welcome greater support from their employers to do so.
“Organisations have the opportunity to partner with their people to build diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace cultures with the potential to bring enormous benefit to individuals, organisations, and society. ”
A survey of more than 5,000 women across the UK, USA, Australia, China and Japan for BSI’s Lifting the second glass ceiling report found that 54% of UK women would find it difficult to raise health and menopause-related concerns with their employer.
Three-quarters said they would feel comfortable raising menopause issues with a female manager, but far fewer agreed this was the case with a male manager. Seventy-two per cent of UK women would feel most comfortable disclosing menopause issues to a dedicated and trained representative
UK respondents also said that experienced female mentors would benefit the development of younger women (67%, rising to 70% among 18 to 24-year-olds), but only 46% have had the opportunity to learn from them themselves.
To stop women leaving before retirement age BSI report recommended that employers consult with female workers to understand how they can enhance engagement and trust.
They should also ensure that support is available and accessible, and consider making small adjustments to working arrangements to enable flexibility, as well as foster a workplace culture that ensures equity for people of all ages.
Anne Hayes, director of sectors, BSI, said: “Addressing the second glass ceiling can offer many benefits, from enhancing productivity to ensuring organisations retain talented people and providing mentors who can draw on their experience to guide newer members of staff.
“As our research shows, there are many factors that can lock women out of the workforce – but there are also clear strategies to address this, from support for workers experiencing the menopause to steps in other areas such as working flexibly and breaking down stigma that could contribute to an enhanced work environment for all.
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“Rather than see the considerations facing older women as a challenge, we can gain by seeing this as an opportunity for investment in current and future generations and an opportunity to boost growth, innovation and accelerate progress towards a sustainable world.”
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