Is talking about periods at work "unprofessional"?
Dec 29, 2019 13:49:46 GMT -5
ntomtouch likes this
Post by max23 on Dec 29, 2019 13:49:46 GMT -5
I'm not sure that the study referred to in this article establishes anything that we didn't already know, but anyway...
"Weekend plans, holidays and Brexit are the usual suspects when it comes to office chit chat – but a new study has found there’s a particular topic that male employees dislike.
The big P: Periods.
A new study has found that a third of male workers think it’s ‘inappropriate’ to discuss anything to do with menstruation in the office. In fact, 32 per cent of men said they thought it was ‘unprofessional’ of women to talk about periods at work. This new research confirms that the menstrual cycle is still largely considered a taboo by a considerable portion of employees. Despite it being a natural, biological phenomenon affecting around half of an office’s workforce, every month. The study, carried out by Initial Washroom Hygiene, spoke to 2,000 workers. It also found that the women polled said they would rather speak in public, admit to a mistake at work or provide relationship advice than speak about their periods in front of male colleagues.
This apparent shame and embarrassment around periods can also be seen in the other statistics. More than half of the women in the study said they would be reluctant to call in sick because of period-related symptoms, and 48 per cent said they would be hesitant to talk about it with their manager. Similarly, 46 per cent of women said they felt uncomfortable taking sanitary products out on their desks, in front of their colleagues.
Perhaps something more concerning is the fact that four out of ten women said they had used a sanitary towels or tampon for longer than medically advised because they didn’t want to get up and replace it, or ask a colleague for one. The fact is, it’s 2019 and nobody should be ashamed of their body or embarrassed to talk about it at work. But this recent study shows topics relating to women’s bodies, like periods, are not considered to be ‘normal’ part of everyday conversations.
Sian Walkling, a marketing manager at the Initial Washroom Hygiene, said: ‘The fact that a third of men think a grown-up discussion about menstrual hygiene is unprofessional, and that almost half of women feel uncomfortable discussing this element of their wellness with their manager, shows how much work needs to be done.’ ‘Female employees shouldn’t feel embarrassed talking about menstrual hygiene in the office, especially when they find themselves faced with a situation they may inadvertently not be prepared for. ‘Normalising conversations about menstrual cycles and how they affect women is vital to achieving period dignity and a diverse workforce.’ " metro.co.uk/2019/11/15/a-third-of-men-think-its-unprofessional-to-talk-about-periods-at-work-11149780/
The survey finding that 46 percent of women are uncomfortable about colleagues seeing their sanitary products reminded me of when I used to work in the city. My PA's desk was directly in front of my office and she sat with her back to me. I always knew when she had her period, because before she went to lunch, she'd reach into her bag (which was on the floor), to get a tampon which she then concealed in the sleeve of her shirt.
"Weekend plans, holidays and Brexit are the usual suspects when it comes to office chit chat – but a new study has found there’s a particular topic that male employees dislike.
The big P: Periods.
A new study has found that a third of male workers think it’s ‘inappropriate’ to discuss anything to do with menstruation in the office. In fact, 32 per cent of men said they thought it was ‘unprofessional’ of women to talk about periods at work. This new research confirms that the menstrual cycle is still largely considered a taboo by a considerable portion of employees. Despite it being a natural, biological phenomenon affecting around half of an office’s workforce, every month. The study, carried out by Initial Washroom Hygiene, spoke to 2,000 workers. It also found that the women polled said they would rather speak in public, admit to a mistake at work or provide relationship advice than speak about their periods in front of male colleagues.
This apparent shame and embarrassment around periods can also be seen in the other statistics. More than half of the women in the study said they would be reluctant to call in sick because of period-related symptoms, and 48 per cent said they would be hesitant to talk about it with their manager. Similarly, 46 per cent of women said they felt uncomfortable taking sanitary products out on their desks, in front of their colleagues.
Perhaps something more concerning is the fact that four out of ten women said they had used a sanitary towels or tampon for longer than medically advised because they didn’t want to get up and replace it, or ask a colleague for one. The fact is, it’s 2019 and nobody should be ashamed of their body or embarrassed to talk about it at work. But this recent study shows topics relating to women’s bodies, like periods, are not considered to be ‘normal’ part of everyday conversations.
Sian Walkling, a marketing manager at the Initial Washroom Hygiene, said: ‘The fact that a third of men think a grown-up discussion about menstrual hygiene is unprofessional, and that almost half of women feel uncomfortable discussing this element of their wellness with their manager, shows how much work needs to be done.’ ‘Female employees shouldn’t feel embarrassed talking about menstrual hygiene in the office, especially when they find themselves faced with a situation they may inadvertently not be prepared for. ‘Normalising conversations about menstrual cycles and how they affect women is vital to achieving period dignity and a diverse workforce.’ " metro.co.uk/2019/11/15/a-third-of-men-think-its-unprofessional-to-talk-about-periods-at-work-11149780/
The survey finding that 46 percent of women are uncomfortable about colleagues seeing their sanitary products reminded me of when I used to work in the city. My PA's desk was directly in front of my office and she sat with her back to me. I always knew when she had her period, because before she went to lunch, she'd reach into her bag (which was on the floor), to get a tampon which she then concealed in the sleeve of her shirt.
