Trade unions push for EU law to address menopause at work

EU trade unions seek stronger workplace protections for menopause

Usagevpn.com – Menopause is moving higher on Europe’s employment agenda, with the European Trade Union Confederation calling for EU workplace rules to better reflect the needs of women experiencing symptoms that can affect their jobs, income and long-term financial security.

The ETUC, which represents 45 million workers in 41 European countries, says existing occupational-health legislation has not kept pace with the realities of a workforce in which menopause can have a substantial effect on attendance, working hours and career progression.

“Women’s work-related health risks remain largely ignored by the law, which remains orientated around male-dominated jobs,” said ETUC Deputy General Secretary Isabelle Schömann. “It’s high time that the law caught up with the reality of the whole workforce today and the risks facing them.”

A workplace and equality issue

Menopause generally takes place between the ages of 45 and 55, a period when many employees have considerable professional experience and may be pursuing senior positions. Symptoms can include tiredness, disrupted sleep, hot flushes, pain in the joints, anxiety and problems with concentration.

About 85% of women experience at least one menopause symptom. For roughly 30%, those symptoms interfere with their ability to work. The impact may be particularly significant where jobs offer little flexibility, unsuitable temperatures, inadequate facilities or limited understanding from managers.

The union confederation argues that the cost is not confined to health and wellbeing. Research it cited found that, in Norway, women’s earnings were 7.4% lower by the fourth year following a menopause diagnosis. Shorter working time, absence through illness and missed advancement opportunities were among the factors linked to that fall.

“Loss of pay, lost promotions, and lower pensions is the price being paid by millions of women for the failure to adapt work to the menopause,” Schömann said.

Those effects can extend beyond an employee’s immediate salary. Reduced hours or interrupted career development may also affect pension contributions and retirement income, placing menopause within wider discussions about gender equality in the labour market.

Commission measures stop short of new workplace law

The European Commission has begun to include menopause more clearly within its equality work, but it has not proposed a separate EU menopause strategy or legislation defining workplace rights specifically for menopausal employees.

In November 2025, Equality Commissioner Hadja Lahbib said the Commission did not intend to produce a dedicated strategy. She highlighted research financed through Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe that examines menopause’s medical and social consequences.

The Commission’s Gender Equality Strategy for 2026-2030, published in March, includes menopause among the issues it plans to address. Its commitments include sharing national approaches to menstrual and menopause poverty, as well as a study due in 2028 on the economic and social gains of narrowing the women’s health gap. Menopause is included within the scope of that planned study.

These commitments signal that the subject is becoming part of the EU’s broader gender-equality framework. However, they do not establish binding employment protections, leaving most practical arrangements to national rules, collective bargaining and individual employers.

Parliament presses for a broader response

The European Parliament is considering a more ambitious political response. Spanish Socialist MEP Lina Gálvez is leading a draft report entitled Menopause beyond a health issue: turning menopause into an economic, working and social priority.

The text is due for further discussion at a plenary session next year. It calls for an EU-level strategy, expanded research, evidence-led public campaigns to reduce stigma, stronger support in workplaces and better access to healthcare.

“It is therefore essential to have an EU strategy that includes broader and more inclusive EU research, evidence-based public campaigns to change the social perceptions, improved workplace support and improved access to healthcare,” Gálvez wrote in the draft report. “It is time for the EU to tackle menopause.”

For now, the report is a parliamentary initiative rather than adopted EU policy. Its significance lies in framing menopause not solely as a medical matter, but as an issue connected to employment, economic participation and social equality.

What unions want employers to change

The ETUC’s immediate focus is the day-to-day design and regulation of work. It wants workplace risk assessments to consider conditions such as temperature, ventilation and available facilities. It also supports flexible schedules and remote-working options where appropriate.

Other proposals include menopause training for line managers and human-resources staff, as well as practical changes such as adjustable temperature controls and ergonomic equipment. The confederation also wants menopause policies to be negotiated with unions, then put into practice and reviewed, alongside free menstrual and menopause products in workplaces.

Such measures would not treat every employee’s experience as identical. Instead, they would give workers and employers routes to discuss adjustments before symptoms lead to reduced hours, extended absence or a decision to leave employment.

“The way work is organised can make a crucial difference in deciding the impact of the menopause,” Schömann said.

She added that trade unions are already securing collective-agreement provisions on flexible arrangements and workplace adaptations. The ETUC’s campaign seeks to make that kind of response more systematic across Europe, rather than dependent on whether an individual employer chooses to act.