A cross-sector group of policymakers, workplace wellbeing experts and business leaders gathered in Westminster this week to call for systemic change in how women’s health is supported in the workplace.
Coinciding with the UK Government’s announcement of a full review into parental leave, the Policy Liaison Group on Workplace Wellbeing hosted a roundtable in Parliament on Tuesday, 1st July 2025, to explore the deepening impact of workplace neglect of women’s health – from menstrual health and fertility to miscarriage, menopause and caregiving demands.
Chaired by Gethin Nadin, UK Mental Health Campaigner of the Year, the discussion was joined by Labour MP and health campaigner Dr Beccy Cooper, Kate Usher, Founder of Menopause in Business, and Joanne Newman, Wellbeing Consultant at the Independent Office for Police Conduct.
Women’s Health: Not a ‘Nice to Have’, but a Workforce Imperative
Dr Beccy Cooper MP told attendees that true progress relies on embedding support into workplace culture:
“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.”
Discussions highlighted that women juggling paid employment with unpaid caregiving — often referred to as the “sandwich generation” — are bearing the brunt of outdated workplace structures, with widespread implications for health, productivity, and family life.
The Group also addressed the economic fallout of poor support, referencing a 2025 academic study by UCL, the University of Bergen, Stanford and the University of Delaware which found that women experience a 10% drop in earnings within four years of a menopause diagnosis — almost half the 23% pay drop women experience following childbirth.
Towards an Employer Duty of Care
Insights from the session will inform the Group’s upcoming Employer Duty of Care Guidelines, set to provide practical, scalable actions for both employers and policymakers. These include line manager training, inclusive policy templates, and the expansion of support mechanisms such as paid fertility leave and menopause awareness programmes.
Gethin Nadin said the time for siloed health initiatives was over:
“We need to stop treating health challenges like fertility, menopause or menstruation as niche concerns. There is no such thing as a women’s issue – these are workforce issues, societal issues, and leadership issues. When women thrive at work, everyone benefits: families, communities, employers. Not just women.”
“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.”
“We Cannot Afford to Lose These Women”
Kate Usher warned that despite growing societal awareness, menopause remains a taboo topic in many workplaces:
“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.”
“We absolutely must find ways to support women through menopause if we want to keep them in the workforce. These women are vital, experienced, and ready to contribute — but only if we make space for them to thrive.”
Joanne Newman echoed this, urging more radical reform:
“I genuinely fear for the health of my female colleagues… The demands of modern life have accelerated beyond recognition, but we remain the same physiological and psychological beings as we were eons ago.”
“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.”
Looking Ahead
The Policy Liaison Group on Workplace Wellbeing will publish its Employer Duty of Care Guidelines later this year. The recommendations aim to offer a consistent framework across sectors, helping organisations retain talent, boost performance, and advance gender equity by ensuring women’s health is recognised, supported, and normalised at work.