Internship project: Understanding the consequences of perimenopause and menopause symptom management in Australia’s nursing industry and employer responses

Opportunity

As Australia seeks to increase women’s participation in the workforce, understanding women’s unique health needs across the lifecycle is critical. While much policy and practice focuses on women of childbearing/rearing age, it is vital that we also understand and support women who are transitioning to, or are in, their menopausal years. It remains unknown what employers of nursing staff in Australia are currently doing to support their female staff and what their unique experiences are on issues of, for example, staff retention, supports in place for staff struggling with menopausal symptoms, and how such retention and support is factored into workforce planning.

The aim of this project is to understand both female nurses’ experiences and their employers’ experiences in managing menopausal symptoms at work. During the project, the intern will conduct interviews with nurses about their experiences in the workforce related to managing menopausal symptoms. The project will establish a baseline understanding of what health employers in Australia are currently doing to support their female nursing staff managing menopausal symptoms and will contribute to the evidence base for future work in this space.

Project Objectives

• Understand female nurses’ experiences managing menopausal symptoms at work
• Understand employers’ perspectives on how to support nurses managing menopausal symptoms at work
• Develop recommendations on how nurses’ could be better supported to manage menopausal symptoms at work