失禁play看这里!TED演讲 中英双语

The link between menopause and gender inequity at work
Of America's 500 largest companies, only 42 have female CEOs. And if you look at other countries, the data is similar, and in some cases, worse. And, of course, there are a number of factors contributing to global gender inequity in the workplace. But I believe that there is one factor often underecognized, and that's menopause.
So what do I mean? Many women will rise into senior positions of leadership in their 40s or their 50s. The average age of a CEO is mid-50s. Perimenopause, or the transition into menopause, generally occurs also between 45 and 55. And this is where the symptoms really start, and it can last up to 10 years. So just as a woman is stepping up, taking the reins, earning at her highest potential, her body can feel like it's betraying her.
Now, for anyone who doesn't know, which turns out to be many of us — for me, I had my first conversation with my own mother about menopause in the last few years — it's a big deal. And it's not just a big deal for women over 45. Nonbinary, transmasculine and younger women may all cope with menopausal symptoms. So what are these symptoms? They can be physical, so that's hot flushes, joint pain, urinary incontinence, heavy periods. They can also be mental: anxiety, depression, bouts of low confidence, difficulty sleeping. Imagine that — 10 years of difficulty sleeping. The list is long and symptoms can change, so it means you never really know what to expect. But make no mistake: they are significant.
So significant, that in a study by Vodafone across five countries, it found that 60 percent of women dealing with menopausal symptoms said it impacted their work. In another study in the UK, 30 percent of women said they missed work due to their symptoms. And at the extremes, women are making serious choices about their careers. As many as 11 percent forewent a promotion opportunity, and as many as eight percent resigned from their positions because of menopausal symptoms.
My fascination with female leadership and the obvious gap began as a strategy consultant working in boardrooms around the world. In over 10 years, I can count on one hand the number of senior women over 50 in executive positions that I saw, whether it was Seattle or Dubai, Lagos or upstate New York, women were scarce at the top. I started to look around and question the system I was in, wonder what opportunities really existed. The women at the top were exceptional. The bar seemed almost too high to reach. And so I started speaking to my friends and colleagues in their 40s and 50s. They talked about things I knew: balancing a serious job, teenagers and caring for elderly parents. But in a few instances, close friends opened up. They talked about how their bodies and their minds were changing and the impact of menopause on many aspects of their lives, including work. It was at that point that I realized if I wanted to make a difference to women in the workplace so we can all work as long as we want to, it was to improve menopause care.
I believe the workplace can play a major role in improving the experience for women coping with menopausal symptoms. And it might sound cliché, but it does start with awareness. And then it means changing the physical setup of our offices, resetting expectations around work culture and updating health care policies.
So, first: awareness. Since we learn virtually nothing about menopause in school, in the news, in pop culture, it's impossible to expect that even the most well-intentioned manager would have a clue how to be supportive. So many societies place so much pressure on women to appear young and happy and vibrant all of the time. All that effort put towards pretending that you're not going through a natural process of aging is a complete waste of time. Meanwhile, a day in the life of a peri- or postmenopausal woman could be running to the bathroom to wait out a hot flush, looking for paper towels for perspiration that came out of nowhere when everyone else was freezing, skipping a meeting or sending someone else, because a wave of anxiety made you feel like you couldn't cope or skipping a business trip altogether, because heavy periods made leaving home virtually impossible. One way to raise awareness is to bring the discussion right into the workplace. Many companies already offer training programs on things like diversity and inclusion, anti-harassment, conversations on mental health or parental leave. Let's normalize conversation on menopause, inviting people of all genders and all ages to understand what's happening in this natural process of aging, so people can learn how to be supportive.
Next is the physical setup and expectations around work culture. For example, open-plan offices are a disaster for so many reasons, not being able to control the temperature, having no doors to close when you're having a hot flush or need a moment to regroup. And, of course, you can't change an entire floor plan overnight. But there probably are some things you can do, whether that's desk fans, availability of period products, letting someone move their desk from closest to the radiator or having a few rooms with a few doors that you can close if you need a moment to regroup are all good ideas. In situations where women wear uniforms at work, updating the cut to a thinner fabric, making it more breathable or even sweat-wicking can make a huge difference to a woman's comfort, as well as having a few extra around, if a quick change is required during the day.
For employees who can work remotely, you can make it easier by giving examples of things to say to a manager when symptoms are out of control. For example, "I'm having a really tough day due to my symptoms, and it's making it difficult for me to perform at my best in the office." In cases where that's not possible, being able to say things like, "I need to take a few more frequent breaks today rather than one long break," or "Hold on a second — I'm having a hot flush." I truly believe that more openness about this topic, as well as leniency from an office around scheduling or more frequent breaks will make a huge difference to retaining women and getting them over that next promotion hurdle.
And then there's health care, which is perhaps the most important. In many cases, a workplace will provide in-part or in-full health care to its employees. So there's an opportunity to include menopause directly. It can benefit a woman to have access to real information about what treatment options are available and what doctors or specialists she may want to see, whether that's gynecologists, endocrinologists, pelvic floor physios or talk therapists. Menopause is a highly complex and individualized situation, and having access to high-quality health care providers that can talk you through your treatment options and help you figure out what you want to do is critical. In many cases, insurance does cover this, or national health systems do have this available, but it can be hard to navigate, and all of the symptoms make finding the right doctor time-consuming and energy-draining. Just as we have health care resources for what to expect when you're having a child and how to be a great parent, we need better health care resources for what to expect in perimenopause and support through the entire transition.
Every workplace is different, and not all companies will have the same approach to becoming menopause friendly. But at the very least, increasing awareness and demonstrating some real empathy can be low-cost. Just this year, we've heard several corporations make announcements about boosting female leadership at the top — and that's great. And it will take a lot of coordinated efforts to get there. But what's the first step? Getting serious about menopause.
更年期与工作中的性别不平等之间的联系
在美国500家最大的公司中，只有42家有女性CEO。 达到当天最大量API KEY 超过次数限制如果你看一下其他国家，数据是类似的，在某些情况下，情况更糟。当然，有许多因素造成了全球工作场所的性别不平等。但我相信，有一个因素往往没有被认识到，那就是更年期。

那么我的意思是什么呢？许多女性会在40多岁或50多岁时升入高级领导职位。首席执行官的平均年龄是50多岁。围绝经期，或进入绝经期的过渡，一般也发生在45至55岁之间。而这是症状真正开始的地方，它可以持续10年。因此，就在一个女人站起来，执掌大权，发挥最大潜力赚钱的时候，她的身体会感觉到它在背叛她。

现在，对于任何不知道的人来说，我们中的许多人–对我来说，在过去的几年里，我第一次与我自己的母亲谈起了更年期–这是一件大事。而且，这不仅仅是45岁以上女性的大问题。非双性恋、跨性别和年轻女性都可能应对更年期症状。那么，这些症状是什么？它们可以是身体上的，所以是潮热、关节疼痛、尿失禁、月经量大。它们也可以是精神上的：焦虑、抑郁、信心不足、睡眠困难。想象一下 — 10年的睡眠困难。这个清单很长，而且症状可能会发生变化，所以这意味着你永远不知道该期待什么。但不要搞错了：这些症状是很重要的。

如此重要，以至于沃达丰在五个国家的一项研究中发现，60%的女性在处理更年期症状时说它影响了她们的工作。在英国的另一项研究中，30%的妇女说她们因症状而错过了工作。而在极端的情况下，妇女正在对她们的职业做出严肃的选择。多达11%的人放弃了晋升机会，多达8%的人因为更年期症状而辞去职务。

我对女性领导力和明显差距的迷恋始于作为战略顾问在世界各地的会议室工作。在超过10年的时间里，我可以用一只手数出我所看到的50岁以上担任行政职务的高级女性人数，无论是西雅图还是迪拜，拉各斯还是纽约州北部，女性在高层都很稀缺。我开始环顾四周，质疑我所处的系统，想知道真正存在的机会是什么。处于顶层的女性是出类拔萃的。这个标准似乎太高了，难以达到。于是我开始与我的朋友和40、50岁的同事交谈。他们谈到了我知道的事情：平衡一份严肃的工作、青少年和照顾年迈的父母。但在少数情况下，亲密的朋友打开了话匣子。他们谈到了他们的身体和思想是如何变化的，以及更年期对他们生活的许多方面的影响，包括工作。正是在那个时候，我意识到如果我想为工作场所的女性带来改变，使我们都能如愿以偿地工作，那就是要改善更年期护理。

我相信工作场所可以在改善女性应对更年期症状的经验方面发挥重要作用。这听起来可能是陈词滥调，但它确实是从认识开始的。然后，它意味着改变我们办公室的物理设置，重新设定围绕工作文化的期望，并更新医疗保健政策。

所以，首先：认识。由于我们在学校、新闻和流行文化中几乎没有学到任何关于更年期的知识，因此不可能期望即使是最善意的经理人也会知道如何提供支持的线索。如此多的社会对女性施加了如此大的压力，让她们总是显得年轻、快乐和充满活力。所有这些努力都是为了假装你没有经历一个自然的衰老过程，这完全是浪费时间。同时，围绝经期或绝经后妇女的一天，可能是跑到卫生间等待热潮，为其他人都在受冻时突然冒出的汗水寻找纸巾，跳过一个会议或派别人去，因为一波焦虑使你觉得你无法应付，或者完全跳过一次商务旅行，因为大量的月经使你几乎无法离家。提高意识的一个方法是将讨论直接带入工作场所。许多公司已经提供了诸如多样性和包容性、反骚扰、关于心理健康或育儿假的对话等方面的培训计划。让我们把关于更年期的谈话正常化，邀请所有性别和所有年龄的人了解在这个自然衰老过程中发生了什么，这样人们就可以学会如何支持。

接下来是物理设置和围绕工作文化的期望。例如，由于许多原因，开放式办公室是一场灾难，不能控制温度，当你有一个热潮或需要一个时刻来重新组合时，没有门可以关闭。当然，你也不可能在一夜之间改变整个楼层规划。但是，可能有一些你可以做的事情，无论是办公桌上的风扇，还是定期产品的供应，让某人把他们的办公桌从最靠近散热器的地方移开，或者有几个房间有几扇门，如果你需要休息一下，你可以关闭，这些都是好主意。如果妇女在工作中穿制服，将其剪裁更新为更薄的面料，使其更透气或甚至排汗，可以对妇女的舒适度产生巨大的影响，如果在白天需要快速更换，也可以在周围准备一些额外的衣服。

对于可以远程工作的员工，你可以通过举例说明在症状失控时应该对经理说的话来使其更容易。例如，"由于我的症状，我今天真的很难受，这让我很难在办公室里发挥出我的最佳水平。" 在不可能的情况下，能够说 "我今天需要多休息几次，而不是一次长的休息"，或者 "等一下 — 我在发热 "这样的话。我真的相信，在这个问题上更加开放，以及办公室在安排休息时间或更频繁的休息方面给予宽大处理，将对留住女性和让她们跨越下一个晋升障碍产生巨大的影响。

然后是医疗保健，这可能是最重要的。在许多情况下，一个工作场所将为其员工提供部分或全部的医疗保健。因此，有机会直接包括更年期。如果妇女能够获得真正的信息，了解有哪些治疗选择，以及她可能想看哪些医生或专家，无论是妇科医生、内分泌医生、盆底理疗师还是谈话治疗师，这都会使她受益。更年期是一个非常复杂和个性化的情况，有机会接触到高质量的医疗保健提供者，他们可以与你讨论你的治疗方案，并帮助你弄清楚你想要做什么，这是至关重要的。在许多情况下，保险确实涵盖了这一点，或者国家卫生系统确实有这样的服务，但这可能是难以驾驭的，所有的症状使寻找合适的医生变得费时和费力。就像我们有关于生孩子时应该注意什么以及如何成为一个伟大的父母的医疗保健资源一样，我们需要更好的医疗保健资源来了解围绝经期应该注意什么，并在整个过渡期间提供支持。

每个工作场所都是不同的，并不是所有的公司都会有相同的方法来变得对更年期友好。但至少，提高意识和表现出一些真正的同情心可以是低成本的。就在今年，我们已经听到一些公司宣布提高高层的女性领导力，这很好。这将需要大量的协调努力来实现这一目标。但第一步是什么？认真对待更年期。