Women are repeatedly left in the dark when it comes to understanding their health, this shows up in the workplace as sick leave, more resignations, and capable women quietly stepping back.
When women have adequate knowledge about their health and bodies, they make better decisions, they understand how to manage conditions and they live healthier lives. When they don’t, women have more hospital visits, less preventive care and poorer health outcomes.
This knowledge gap shows up dramatically when it comes to endometriosis, pregnancy and postpartum, the reproductive years, perimenopause and menopause. However, in most workplaces, these conversations are still hidden in silence.
When it comes to the menopause transition, over 80% of Australian women experiencing it say it has negatively impacted their work life, and 70% don't feel comfortable raising it with their manager. A quarter of Australian working women retire before 55 – with many citing their health as the reason and leaving the workforce years earlier than planned. This has life-changing consequences for their financial lives as well, with their earnings and super decreasing. It’s a similar tale when it comes to endometriosis, which impacts 1 in 9 women, and costs billions every year, mostly in lost productivity.
Behind the statistics, a woman is taking sick leave she can't explain, she’s pushing through pain at her desk, or quietly walking away from a career she loves. When she doesn't know how to support herself, and her workplace doesn't understand what she's experiencing, everybody loses.
But it doesn't have to be this way.
‘The change must start with more women’s health knowledge in the workplace. Women need more information, flexibility and a culture where these conversations are normal, and not taboo,’ – Maxine our Health Promotions Lead at Luma.
That's the gap Luma is closing. As a not-for-profit specialising in women's health and wellbeing across the entire lifespan, Luma takes essential health education directly into workplaces — meeting women where they are. Luma’s health and wellbeing education team travel into communities, workplaces and schools to present talks and workshops on stress, hormones, menopause, endometriosis, menstrual cycles and advice on the best healthcare pathways.
Luma’s workshops offer women the knowledge, strategies and tools to understand their bodies and health – with that, comes the confidence to support themselves and get access to the care they deserve. As a result, businesses create a culture were there most experienced and talented women can thrive.
ABOUT LUMA
Luma is one of Australia’s largest not-for-profit organisations specialising in women’s health and wellbeing. Established in 1977, Luma has grown from a small medical and counselling clinic for women, into a holistic, integrated, one-stop healthcare destination for all women.
Bring Luma’s women’s health knowledge into your workplace: https://luma.org.au/services/corporate-education/
Written by Sarah Allen, Brand & Marketing Lead at Luma
Photography by Frances Andrijich
Project managed by Maxine, Health Promotions Lead
Contributions from Kylie Marston, General Manager of Business Development
References
1. U.S. Surgeon General's Workshop on Improving Health Literacy; and Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), Health Literacy Interventions and Outcomes: An Updated Systematic Review. Both report a strong, independent association between low health literacy and adverse outcomes including increased emergency department use, hospitalisation, lower uptake of preventive services and higher mortality. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK44260 and effectivehealthcare.ahrq.gov.
2. Australian Council of Trade Unions (2024), Women pushed out of work early due to 'taboo' menopause issues, citing a study commissioned by the Victorian Women's Trust and ABS retirement data. actu.org.au.
3. Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees, estimate of lost earnings and superannuation associated with early retirement attributed to menopause, as cited by the ACTU (2024). actu.org.au.
4. M. Armour et al. (2019), The cost of illness and economic burden of endometriosis and chronic pelvic pain in Australia: A national online survey, PLoS One; and Endometriosis Australia. The condition affects more than 830,000 Australians, with the majority of its $9.7 billion annual cost driven by lost productivity. endometriosisaustralia.org.
5. University of Queensland / Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health, reported via UNSW Newsroom (2022), Endometriosis can end women's careers and stall their education. unsw.edu.au.
