FSU delegate Rina Abbott-Jard recently spoke bravely about her experience of menopause at a public hearing for the Senate Inquiry into the issue in the workplace.
Rina’s personal story provided valuable insight as part of the FSU’s submission to the inquiry which focused on the impact menopause and menstruation can have on finance workers.
“I understand that choosing to talk about menopause and things like that is a really uncomfortable situation at work, yet I’m here,” the 47-year-old mother of two young daughters said.
“I’m pretty strong and unashamed of my body and my humanity but I know others feel social shame. So here I am telling my story.”
Rina described her symptoms as ‘complete menstrual chaos’ – her doctor’s term – including severe flooding and blood loss, extreme anaemia, bloating and pain. But the scariest has been brain fog.
“I’m not ashamed of menstruation and menopause but people find it stressful because of a lack of understanding and I want to change that. I don’t want people to feel uncomfortable; I want to change perceptions, so this experience is easier on others.”
Rina told the hearing that one of the hardest elements to manage is the unpredictability of her symptoms.
“My special times are not predictable. I don’t know how many days I’ll need to work from home, I don’t know how long it’ll last – seven days, or 14. It’s erratic, and I can’t plan my calendar around it, so each month is a bit like Russian roulette. I just roll with it and hope for the best.”
For someone who is accustomed to being in control of her professional life, Rina has found that difficult.
“My intellect is my superpower, my income and how I do my life’s work,” she explained.
“My role is about big change, big concepts and the translation of science and legislation into easily understood, bite-sized messaging that helps call a corporate workforce to action. It is highly strategic, innovative, and fast-moving and it requires me to consume knowledge at a lightning pace. The shock of the menopausal experience is bad enough, with the pain and the fatigue, but the cognitive effect was the scariest.”
This was what prompted Rina to share her story publicly and call on the inquiry to listen to her and the calls of her finance sector peers. And it’s why the FSU is campaigning for greater support for our members.
“In branches and call centres in our workforces across many industries, the needs will be different, yet in synergy with mine. There is a basic level of support that should be afforded to every woman in a workplace – to participate fully and to be valued, appreciated, and fairly remunerated as peers.
“There are many types of leave and social provisions at work that I may never need access to or utilise. But menopause leave is important and critical to me.”
Rina feels strongly that it’s to everyone’s benefit to have access to the support they need, And she concluded by telling the Inquiry how important it is to improve workplaces for the future.
“I need all of my colleagues to be happy and healthy and I will advocate for them to have what they need to sustain themselves in the workplace. “It’s over to you. There’s a lot I can’t save my girls from, but to be an advocate for them to get a better deal at work is something I can do. It’s really important to me that they remain financially included in their economy and, to be brutally honest, the economy can’t afford for my girls to be economically excluded and disengaged. They are, truly, amazing.”
You can read the FSU’s submission to the inquiry here.
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