Andrea Berchowitz: The link between menopause and gender inequity at work | TED

Transcriber:

翻译人员: Shuhui Huang 校对人员: Yip Yan Yeung

在全美五百强公司里，

只有 42 位女性CEO。

在别的国家，数据也是类似的，

Of America's 500 largest companies, only 42 have female CEOs.

有的地方还要更糟。

当然，造成这种全球性的

工作环境中的 性别不平等的因素有很多。

And if you look at other countries,

the data is similar, and in some cases, worse.

但我相信其中有一个 常被人忽视的因素，

And, of course, there are a number of factors

那就是更年期。

contributing to global gender inequity in the workplace.

这是什么意思呢？

But I believe that there is one factor often underecognized,

许多女性会在 40 到 50 岁的时候

晋升到资深管理层。

and that's menopause.

一个公司的首席执行官 平均年龄是 55 岁左右。

So what do I mean?

围绝经期或进入更年期的这段时间

Many women will rise into senior positions of leadership

也基本都在 45 到 55 岁之间。

in their 40s or their 50s.

The average age of a CEO is mid-50s.

这就是更年期症状 开始发作的时候，

Perimenopause, or the transition into menopause,

而且可以持续长达十年。

generally occurs also between 45 and 55.

所以当一位女性踌躇满志，

正要在职场大干一场的时候，

And this is where the symptoms really start,

她的身体却会反戈一击。

and it can last up to 10 years.

So just as a woman is stepping up, taking the reins,

我想告诉那些不了解 更年期的人，也就是很多人——

我自己也是近几年才 第一次和我的妈妈

earning at her highest potential,

her body can feel like it's betraying her.

聊到更年期的，

Now, for anyone who doesn't know, which turns out to be many of us --

这可不是件小事儿。

除了 45 岁以上的女性，

for me, I had my first conversation with my own mother about menopause

非二元性别者、跨性别者 或年轻女性

in the last few years --

都可能会有更年期的症状。

it's a big deal.

And it's not just a big deal for women over 45.

这些症状都是什么样的呢？

Nonbinary, transmasculine and younger women

它们可以是生理上的，

比如潮热、关节痛、 尿失禁、月经过多。

may all cope with menopausal symptoms.

So what are these symptoms?

也可以是精神上的：

They can be physical,

焦虑、抑郁、不自信、失眠。

so that's hot flushes, joint pain, urinary incontinence, heavy periods.

想想看，失眠十年的感觉。

They can also be mental: anxiety, depression,

更年期症状很多，还会变化，

bouts of low confidence, difficulty sleeping.

所以你永远都不知道 会出现什么症状。

Imagine that -- 10 years of difficulty sleeping.

但你绝不能轻敌。

The list is long and symptoms can change,

沃达丰（Vodafone）在一项 横跨五个国家的研究中发现，

so it means you never really know what to expect.

60% 有更年期症状的女性

But make no mistake: they are significant.

So significant, that in a study by Vodafone across five countries,

表示她们的工作受到了影响。

英国的一项研究也表明，

it found that 60 percent of women dealing with menopausal symptoms

30% 的女性表示，

她们曾因为更年期发作而旷工。

said it impacted their work.

更极端的影响则是在 女性的事业选择上。

In another study in the UK,

30 percent of women said they missed work due to their symptoms.

高达 11% 的女性

因为更年期而放弃升职，

And at the extremes, women are making serious choices about their careers.

而另有 8% 选择了辞职。

As many as 11 percent forewent a promotion opportunity,

我对于女性领导人与她们的 职场机会落差很感兴趣，

and as many as eight percent resigned from their positions

这是从我在世界各地的董事会议上 担任战略咨询开始的。

because of menopausal symptoms.

在这十多年里，

My fascination with female leadership and the obvious gap

我所见过的超过五十岁的 管理层女性个数

began as a strategy consultant working in boardrooms around the world.

屈指可数。

不论是西雅图还是迪拜，

In over 10 years, I can count on one hand

非洲拉各斯，或是纽约州北部，

the number of senior women over 50 in executive positions that I saw,

金字塔顶端的女性非常少。

我开始质疑这个社会，

whether it was Seattle or Dubai, Lagos or upstate New York,

想知道女性的机遇到底是否存在。

women were scarce at the top.

那些在管理层的女性都非常出色，

I started to look around and question the system I was in,

水平好像高到够不着。

wonder what opportunities really existed.

所以我开始与我四五十岁的 朋友同事聊这件事。

The women at the top were exceptional.

她们说的也无非就是

The bar seemed almost too high to reach.

如何平衡工作、孩子 和年迈的父母这些。

And so I started speaking to my friends and colleagues in their 40s and 50s.

但有一些关系好的朋友 会坦率地告诉我

They talked about things I knew: balancing a serious job, teenagers

她们的身体和大脑都在变化

and caring for elderly parents.

以及更年期如何影响 她们生活的方方面面，

But in a few instances, close friends opened up.

包括工作。

They talked about how their bodies and their minds were changing

那时候我就意识到，

如果我想为职场中的 女性们做些什么，

and the impact of menopause on many aspects of their lives,

让我们想工作多久就工作多久，

including work.

就要促进更年期相关的福利。

It was at that point that I realized

if I wanted to make a difference to women in the workplace

我相信在改善女性 应对更年期症状的环境上，

so we can all work as long as we want to,

公司是可以起很大作用的。

it was to improve menopause care.

听起来是老调重弹， 但这确实要从唤起意识开始。

I believe the workplace can play a major role

其次是改善工作场所的设施、

in improving the experience for women coping with menopausal symptoms.

公司文化中的一些隐形标准

And it might sound cliché, but it does start with awareness.

和医保政策。

And then it means changing the physical setup of our offices,

首先，唤起意识。

正因为我们在学校里、 新闻里、主流文化中，

resetting expectations around work culture

几乎没有关于更年期的知识，

and updating health care policies.

So, first: awareness.

再有心的上司也不可能知道

Since we learn virtually nothing about menopause in school,

怎么才能帮上忙。

in the news, in pop culture,

社会上又充斥着 针对女性的高要求：

it's impossible to expect that even the most well-intentioned manager

要年轻、快乐、永远充满活力。

would have a clue how to be supportive.

而这都是为了假装

So many societies place so much pressure on women to appear young and happy

女性根本不会有自然衰老的过程，

完全就是在浪费时间。

and vibrant all of the time.

现实情况却是，一个在经历 更年期前期或后期症状的女性

All that effort put towards pretending that you're not going through

a natural process of aging

可能正因一阵热潮 在急着找厕所回避，

is a complete waste of time.

或是当大家都冻得瑟瑟发抖时候，

Meanwhile, a day in the life of a peri- or postmenopausal woman

在找纸巾擦突如其来的热汗，

could be running to the bathroom to wait out a hot flush,

也可能因为一阵强烈的 恐慌感让你难以忍受

而缺席会议或找人顶替，

looking for paper towels for perspiration that came out of nowhere

或是因为过多的月经量 让她无法出远门

when everyone else was freezing,

skipping a meeting or sending someone else,

而不得不取消出差。

because a wave of anxiety made you feel like you couldn't cope

一种唤起意识的方法就是 在工作场所开展讨论。

or skipping a business trip altogether,

because heavy periods made leaving home virtually impossible.

很多公司有自己的培训项目，

比如培养多样化和包容性，

One way to raise awareness is to bring the discussion right into the workplace.

反骚扰教育，

精神健康或产假相关等。

Many companies already offer training programs

我们应该也把 更年期相关的讨论当作常态，

on things like diversity and inclusion,

邀请所有年龄性别的人参加，

anti-harassment,

conversations on mental health or parental leave.

来理解正常衰老意味着什么，

Let's normalize conversation on menopause,

这样人们才知道如何帮得上忙。

inviting people of all genders and all ages

第二步是工作场所的设施

to understand what's happening in this natural process of aging,

和公司文化中的标准设定。

打个比方，开放式办公室 其实很不人性化。

so people can learn how to be supportive.

Next is the physical setup and expectations around work culture.

原因有，没法控制室温、

当热潮发作或者 需要平复焦虑的时候

For example, open-plan offices are a disaster for so many reasons,

没有私人空间回避。

当然你不可能一夜之间 把办公室拆了重装。

not being able to control the temperature,

having no doors to close when you're having a hot flush

但你总有一些可以做的事，

or need a moment to regroup.

比如提供桌面风扇、经期用品，

And, of course, you can't change an entire floor plan overnight.

允许员工把桌子搬离取暖器周围，

But there probably are some things you can do,

或者划出一些可密闭的私人空间

whether that's desk fans, availability of period products,

以供症状发作时使用，

letting someone move their desk from closest to the radiator

都是很好的主意。

在女性必须穿制服工作的地方，

or having a few rooms with a few doors that you can close

选择使用更轻薄、

if you need a moment to regroup

更透气甚至快干的面料

are all good ideas.

可以为女性提供更大的舒适。

In situations where women wear uniforms at work,

如果工作时间不得不换衣服，

updating the cut to a thinner fabric,

准备一些备用衣物也可以。

making it more breathable or even sweat-wicking

对于远程工作的员工，

can make a huge difference to a woman's comfort,

可以提供一些话术范本， 这样症状发作影响工作的时候，

as well as having a few extra around,

if a quick change is required during the day.

和上司交流起来也方便一些。

比如，“我今天的症状发作很厉害，

For employees who can work remotely,

you can make it easier by giving examples of things to say to a manager

让我很难专心高质量工作。”

when symptoms are out of control.

如果这样说不行，

For example, "I'm having a really tough day due to my symptoms,

至少可以说

and it's making it difficult for me to perform at my best in the office."

“我需要把今天的休息时间 分散成较短的几段。”

In cases where that's not possible,

或者“等一下…… 我的热潮发作了。”

being able to say things like,

"I need to take a few more frequent breaks today rather than one long break,"

我相信如果我们对 这个话题开放一点，

or "Hold on a second -- I'm having a hot flush."

对工作时间的安排和 休息次数的规定灵活一点，

I truly believe that more openness about this topic,

女性雇员们会更愿意留下，

并更顺利地争取到升职。

as well as leniency from an office around scheduling or more frequent breaks

接下来可能是 最重要的一项——医保。

will make a huge difference to retaining women

很多公司都会为员工提供

全包或者半包的医疗保险。

and getting them over that next promotion hurdle.

And then there's health care,

这些保险就可以包括 有关更年期的福利，

which is perhaps the most important.

让女性直接获取真实有用的信息：

In many cases,

a workplace will provide in-part or in-full health care to its employees.

可选的治疗方案，

So there's an opportunity to include menopause directly.

可以看什么样的医生，

It can benefit a woman to have access to real information

比如妇科、内分泌科、

骨盆底理疗师、

about what treatment options are available

或是心理医生。

and what doctors or specialists she may want to see,

更年期不仅很复杂还因人而异，

whether that's gynecologists, endocrinologists,

所以能够让你在做决定前

pelvic floor physios

or talk therapists.

充分了解治疗选项的高质量医保

Menopause is a highly complex and individualized situation,

非常重要。

and having access to high-quality health care providers

很多时候，更年期治疗是被保险

that can talk you through your treatment options

或者是国家健康系统包含的，

and help you figure out what you want to do

但有时候程序会很难走，

is critical.

而且根据症状选 合适的医生很花时间

In many cases, insurance does cover this,

or national health systems do have this available,

也很费精力。

但就像我们给新生父母提供的

but it can be hard to navigate,

有关育儿指导的医保资源一样，

and all of the symptoms make finding the right doctor time-consuming

我们也需要更好的医保资源

and energy-draining.

Just as we have health care resources

来为更年期过渡期保驾护航。

for what to expect when you're having a child and how to be a great parent,

每个工作环境都是独特的，

we need better health care resources for what to expect in perimenopause

也不是每个公司都会用同样的方法 来为更年期女性提供方便。

and support through the entire transition.

但至少，

唤起意识和表达 真诚的同理心并不难。

Every workplace is different,

and not all companies will have the same approach to becoming menopause friendly.

仅今年，我们就听说了 多家公司公开宣布

But at the very least,

increasing awareness and demonstrating some real empathy can be low-cost.

要大力帮助领导层 女性的发展，这就很棒啊。

要达成目标，需要多方努力才行。

Just this year, we've heard several corporations make announcements

但如何踏出第一步？

about boosting female leadership at the top -- and that's great.

认真对待更年期。

谢谢。

And it will take a lot of coordinated efforts to get there.

But what's the first step?

Getting serious about menopause.

Thank you.