Not A Disability But Sometimes Disabling!
A high proportion of employees in the domestic and household service are women, and as such, dependant on their age, will have their monthly cycle as a natural part of life.
For many, this can be a painful experience, and indeed a YouGov survey in 2017 indicated that 91% of women experience period pain at some point and 57% said this had at some time adversely affected their ability to work.
There is also a condition that is increasingly being recognised as a contributor to gynaecological pain- (*see note)
The UK recently held an Endometriosis week from March 1st to March 7th.
One of the issues surrounding this condition is that Period pain, menopause and and related conditions, which although can be debilitating for many women, are not recognised as a Disability in legal terms.
The Equality Act 2010 covers nine protected characteristics and period pain is not currently one of them.
There has been some movement in recognising the protracted effect of menopause.
An employment tribunal recently found that the physical effects of menopause may amount to a disability if the effects are long term, substantial and affect the person’s ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.
In that case the woman was awarded £19,000 in compensation for her dismissal.
There is a growing feeling that the best scenario if a female employee is consistently “under par” on a regular monthly basis, to ask if they wish to discuss the issue and possibly change certain tasks during these times.
The Graham Agency keeping you informed.
End
*Note:
What is endometriosis? Endometriosis is defined as the presence of endometrial-like tissue outside the uterus, which induces a chronic, inflammatory reaction. While some women with endometriosis experience painful symptoms and/ or infertility, others have no symptoms at all
1 in 10 women of reproductive age in the UK suffer from endometriosis. 10% of women world wide have endometriosis – that’s 176 million worldwide. The prevalence of endometriosis in women with infertility be as high as to 30–50%. Endometriosis is the second most common gynaecological condition in the UK