While around 1.5 million women live with endometriosis, survey data shows that it can take more than nine years to receive a diagnosis, which will clearly have a significant impact on those women’s careers. We are acting so that women receive medical support earlier, ensuring that they can access diagnostic testing and are not dismissed by doctors. Measures in the Employment Rights Act 2025 will support women in managing the condition at work.
Many women across the country living with endometriosis are forced to withstand immense challenges in the workplace, often culminating in them having to curtail their ambitions or leave employment entirely. That is because some workplaces are not putting in place proper protections to support working women, who frankly deserve better. What steps are therefore being taken, in consultation with the Department for Business and Trade, to ensure that our workplaces do not lose out on the immeasurable contribution that these brave women can make?
My hon. Friend is absolutely right about the challenges that endometriosis brings and that workplaces cannot afford to lose such talented women. Action matters. That is why, as part of the Employment Rights Act, we are improving access to flexible working, making changes to statutory sick pay and opening up conversations about women’s health through the employer action plans that we launched last week. I look forward to working with my hon. Friend and other Members to make that support a reality.
One in 10 women have endometriosis, seriously impacting their ability to work. What plans does the Minister have to ensure that employers have clear guidance about the reasonable adjustments that they should be offering, not just for endometriosis but for all gynaecological issues that impact women’s work?
That is an incredibly important question. It is why, with the action plans that we launched last week, we are looking for action to tackle gender pay gaps and a strategy for supporting women with the menopause. From conversations with employers, we know that will be important in helping to facilitate other conversations about women’s health and how women can have that vital support in the workplace.