UK government appoints Mariella Frostrup menopause employment ambassador to enhance workplace support for women

Journalist, presenter and women’s equality campaigner, Mariella Frostrup, has been appointed as the UK government’s new menopause employment ambassador.

The voluntary role will see Frostrup work closely with employers across the country to improve workplace support for women experiencing the menopause, raise awareness of the symptoms and champion the economic contributions of women.

A key focus will be helping women going through the menopause to stay in work and progress in their careers.

Almost 70 per cent of women aged 40-60 in employment experiencing menopausal symptoms report that it has a negative effect on them at work, and more than 50 per cent are unable to go to work at some point due to menopause symptoms.

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Education and empowerment

Frostrup brings decades of experience championing women’s rights and gender equality across the world – including passionate advocacy for increased awareness of the symptoms of menopause – to her new role at the Department for Work and Pensions.

She also chairs Menopause Mandate, a non-profit organisation launched in 2023, focused on improving the support and guidance women receive from the UK's health services and broader society during menopause and perimenopause.

Frostrup said: “I’m honoured and delighted to be appointed as the government’s menopause employment ambassador and to start working towards this government’s stated goal of creating fair and equitable workplaces for all.

“The loss of one in 10 women from the workplace, often at the height of their professional careers, is damaging our economy and causing unnecessary suffering due to lack of information and support during this perfectly natural and manageable phase of life.

“I’m excited to get started and continue the important work done by my predecessor Helen Tomlinson to engage with businesses small and large and find solutions to what continues to be a gender-specific inequity.”

Frostrup’s appointment comes as the UK government has proposed a wide-ranging set of generational reforms to boost protections for workers, including women experiencing menopause symptoms at work.

The policy proposals in the Employment Rights Bill would require large employers to produce Menopause Action Plans on how they will support employees through the menopause.