{"id":14331,"date":"2024-10-24T21:41:08","date_gmt":"2024-10-24T21:41:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nhcoa.org\/es\/?p=14331"},"modified":"2024-10-28T15:52:28","modified_gmt":"2024-10-28T15:52:28","slug":"destigmatizing-menstruation-menopause-in-the-workplace-know-your-rights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nhcoa.org\/es\/destigmatizing-menstruation-menopause-in-the-workplace-know-your-rights\/","title":{"rendered":"Destigmatizing Menstruation & Menopause in the Workplace"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

October 18th, 2024, was World Menopause Day<\/strong>, a day intended to spread awareness of menopause and drive forward conversations to destigmatize it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ahead of World Menopause Day, in September, the Women\u2019s Bureau of the U.S. Department of Labor released a briefing titled, \u201cLet\u2019s Talk About It: Menstruation and Menopause at Work.<\/strong>\u201d The briefing specifically detailed accommodations and legal protections for employees\u2019 experience of menstruation and menopausal symptoms<\/strong>, and made clear the necessity to destigmatize and understand these biological processes as medical conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The National Hispanic Council on Aging applauds the efforts made by the Women\u2019s Bureau, as well as fellow organizations working to improve awareness of both menstruation and menopause. <\/strong>A person living with a uterus is guaranteed to experience both menstruation and menopause at some point in their life, along with symptoms that vary from person to person. These symptoms can cause extreme discomfort, and even keep one from being able to work effectively; to lay expectations upon an employee that they must simply endure and still provide their typical performance at work is tantamount to discrimination on the basis of medical condition, sex characteristics, and even age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s important to arm yourself with the knowledge to advocate for your medical conditions.<\/strong> Read on for helpful information and tips on your rights within the workplace, when it comes to your menstruation and menopausal symptoms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do you know what constitutes workplace harassment as defined by the U.S. Dept of Labor?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the U.S. Dept of Labor<\/strong>, harassment is defined as unwelcome verbal, written, or physical conduct that is based on:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7 Race
\u00b7 Color
\u00b7 Ancestry
\u00b7 National Origin
\u00b7 Religion
\u00b7 Physical or Mental Disability
\u00b7 Medical Condition
<\/strong>\u00b7 Genetic Information
\u00b7 Sex
<\/strong>\u00b7 Lactation
\u00b7 Abortion
\u00b7 Sexual Orientation<\/td>		\u00b7 Transgender Status
\u00b7 Gender Identity
\u00b7 Gender Expression
\u00b7 Intersex Traits
\u00b7 Sex Stereotyping
\u00b7 Sex Characteristics
\u00b7 Age (40 and Up)
<\/strong>\u00b7 Parental status
\u00b7 Marital Status
\u00b7 Military or Veteran Status
\u00b7 Citizenship
\u00b7 Political Affiliation or Belief<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Harassment is further elaborated to include \u201cbehaviors that can reasonably be considered to adversely affect the work environment, particularly if allowed to continue (that is, potentially giving rise to a \u201chostile work environment\u201d).\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What does the Women\u2019s Bureau advise, knowing the terms set by the Dept of Labor?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In their recent briefing, the Women\u2019s Bureau wisely points out that there is no explicitly defined protection against discrimination based on menstruation or menopause. However, they do suggest that the employee is likely still protected \u201cby laws and regulations prohibiting employment discrimination, including harassment, on the basis of age, sex, disability or a combination of these characteristics.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we can see in the terms set by the Dept. of Labor, employees cannot be harassed or discriminated against on the basis of a medical condition, their sex, their sex characteristics, their age, or disability. As it happens, menstruation and menopause are both medical conditions and sex characteristics; menopause is also known to occur in middle-age and thereafter (40 and up).<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Women\u2019s Bureau takes this a step further, and advises that some instances of symptoms experienced during menstruation and\/or menopause \u201cmay meet the definitions outlined in federal laws such as the American with Disabilities Act (ADA).\u201d<\/strong> In fact, the ADA defines the term \u201cdisability\u201d as the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(A) a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities of such individual;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

(B) a record of such an impairment; or<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

(C) being regard as having such an impairment<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ADA further elaborates that major life activities include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7 Caring for oneself
\u00b7 Performing Manual Tasks
\u00b7 Seeing or hearing
\u00b7 Eating
\u00b7 Sleeping<\/strong>
<\/em>\u00b7 Walking
\u00b7 Standing
\u00b7 Lifting
\u00b7 Bending
\u00b7 Speaking
\u00b7 Breathing<\/td>		\u00b7 Learning
\u00b7 Reading
\u00b7 Concentrating
<\/strong>\u00b7 Thinking
\u00b7 Communicating
\u00b7 Working
<\/strong>\u00b7 Major Bodily Functions, including:
– Bowel<\/strong>
– Bladder<\/strong>
– Reproductive Functions<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The emboldened terms clearly relate to many of the symptoms that are common to both menstruation and menopause. The explicit mention of impairment regarding one\u2019s reproductive functions is also undeniably related. Not all those who experience menstruation or menopause will experience symptoms so severe that they would be considered a disability, but many do.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

These definitions and terms are simply the tip of the iceberg. For more information on your rights and protections in the workplace regarding the difficult symptoms of menstruation and menopause, consider the list of resources below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– The Office on Women\u2019s Health<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

– The United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

– The U.S. Dept. of Labor, Women\u2019s Bureau<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And, for a brief overview of Menopause, Perimenopause, and related symptoms, please consult our earlier blog post on the subject, here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It all starts with knowing the facts; together, we can end the stigma attached to menstruation and menopause.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

References:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

– \u201cU.S. Department of Labor Policy Statement on Harassing Conduct in the Workplace,\u201d Office of the Assistant Secretary of Administration & Management. U.S. Dept. of Labor. https:\/\/www.dol.gov\/agencies\/oasam\/centers-offices\/civil-rights-center\/internal\/policies\/DOL-Policy-Statement-on-Harassing-Conduct-in-the-Work<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

– \u201cLet\u2019s Talk About It: Menstruation and Menopause,\u201d Issue Brief, Women\u2019s Bureau. September, 2024. The U.S. Dept. of Labor. https:\/\/www.dol.gov\/sites\/dolgov\/files\/OPA\/MenstruationAndMenopauseAtWork.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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