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Australian women’s attitudes to menstrual and menopause leave

The 2023 National Women’s Health Survey surveyed a randomly selected sample of 3,570 Australian adult women to explore Australian women’s attitudes to menstrual and menopause leave and identify potential barriers to the introduction of these types of leave.

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The report, from the 2023 National Women’s Health Survey, provides a compelling case for fostering flexible work environments where women feel supported to discuss and manage their health needs without fear of discrimination.

The nationally representative findings from more than 3,200 women show that:

  • 67% of Australian women support additional paid sick or personal leave for all people
  • 63% of Australian women are in favour of additional paid leave for menstrual issues
  • 62% of Australian women expressed similar support for menopause leave.

However, the findings also show that:

  • more than four in five women believe that employers or workmates may not be understanding if they were to request leave for such health concerns
  • more than three-quarters of women believe employers will use menstrual and menopause leave as a reason to discriminate against women.

The Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care has funded Jean Hailes for Women’s Health to conduct the annual National Women’s Health Survey since 2017.