New Menopause Survey

A new menopause survey will allow police officers to share their experiences and it will help in the battle to get the right education and support in place, South Yorkshire Police Federation has said.

The survey, called ‘Everyone Pause’, has been launched by the PFEW working with the national Menopause Action Group. It is open to anyone who is either going through or has gone through the menopause, anyone with management or supervisory responsibility within the police service, or those who have personal experiences of supporting someone going through the menopause.

Steve Kent, Chair of South Yorkshire Police Federation, said: “It was only four or five years ago that I was first involved in an awareness session about the menopause and my eyes were opened to the issues and challenges for police officers.

“It can be especially difficult for frontline officers, when we’re talking about wearing PPE and body armour. Menopause should be something that’s front and centre of everyone’s mind. Around 40% of South Yorkshire Police officers are female, and are likely at some point to have challenges around this, so why are we messing about? We should just be getting on with it and dealing with this like a real issue, rather than a taboo, which people still do think it is.”

He continued: “This survey is massively important because it’s all about awareness and educating managers, both male and female. Often supervisors have a lack of understanding and sympathy or willingness to make adjustments.

“We talk about mental health, we talk about physical health, we talk about injuries, but why aren’t we talking about this? I think there’s light at the end of the tunnel – I think the awareness is getting there. People are starting to talk about it, people are starting to drop their barriers on it.

“But this will help us see where we are with it. We’re light years ahead of where we were four years ago, but I don’t think we’re there yet; we’ve got to just get people talking about the menopause.”

For more information, visit the PFEW Menopause Survey 2023 page.