Inquiry into the issues related to menopause and perimenopause - WHSN Submission 2024

The Victorian Women’s Health Services Network (WHSN) welcomes the opportunity to make a submission to the Senate Community Affairs References Committee Inquiry into the issues related to menopause and perimenopause.

As feminist organisations, the members of the Victorian WHSN bring an evidence-based reproductive justice framework to our health policy advocacy, and are dedicated to centring the experiences of women and gender diverse people.

Through decades of direct work with women and communities at local and state-wide levels, we have highly developed understandings of factors affecting women and gender diverse people’s sexual and reproductive health, and mental health experiences and access to care.

Our submission highlights key issues relating to the experiences and impacts of menopause on people around Australia, and makes recommendations for policy and practice in six main areas aligned with the Inquiry Terms of Reference:

• Research and funding gaps

• Healthcare workforce capacity and knowledge

• Intersectional, systemic barriers to accessing care

• Poor health literacy among people who will experience menopause

• Inadequate workplace policy

• Cultural and societal factors affecting public attitudes

More information about the Inquiry can be found here.