20 dec 2023 om 00:00
One in ten women who reported sick to work had their last absence accompanied by complaints due to menstruation, pregnancy or menopause. The former in particular often played a role.
This is evident from a study by statistics agency CBS and TNO. It is the first time that the researchers have asked whether specific female complaints also played a role in their absenteeism.
Of the 61 percent of female employees who reported sick to work in 2022, 10 percent indicated that their complaints during the last absence were related to their menstruation, pregnancy or menopause.
Pregnant employees thought in half the cases that their last flu, cold, headache or fatigue was related to the pregnancy.
In more than half of the cases, female employees in menopause indicated that a viral infection, headache, psychological complaints and fatigue were related to the menopause. Women who were absent due to menstrual complaints also linked their menstruation to the flu, headache and fatigue more than half of the time.
‘Reality even worse’
Menstrual complaints were a factor during the last absence in 5 percent. Only 2 percent indicated that the absence was related to menopausal symptoms and 3 percent of the women saw a connection with their pregnancy. Women-specific complaints did not play a role in the vast majority of absenteeism cases.
The figures do not surprise gynecologist and researcher Judith Huirne. “The impact of women-specific conditions and the extent to which they occur is something I see every day in my work,” she tells NU.nl.
Huirne even thinks that the actual absenteeism due to female-specific ailments is higher. For example, fertility treatments are not included in the CBS figures, even though they often lead to absence from work. Furthermore, there are other conditions, such as endometriosis, which are only diagnosed on average seven years after the symptoms have started.
Typical ‘women’s ailments’ such as severe menstrual pain and pelvic floor problems cost society billions every year, according to research by Huirne and others. The research also shows that there is still a taboo on these types of conditions.
2023-12-19 23:00:40
#Pregnancy #cycle #menopause #play #role #absenteeism #women #NU.nl
