60% of women consider quitting work during menopause, UK research shows
A new British short film, written and directed by Birmingham’s Sam Grierson, is shining a light on how women are treated during the menopause.
The Pause, a 17-minute dark comedy, raises questions about how workplaces treat women during hormonal transition.
The film follows Charlie, played by Suzy Bloom, as she is made redundant just as menopause begins to erode her confidence and sense of identity.
Navigating automated recruitment systems and repeated rejection, the film examines bias, relevance and how employers interpret performance during midlife change. Louise Osborne also features in a supporting role.
‘I was surrounded by women who felt stuck, changed and out of step with the world’
The film includes a cameo voiceover from Miranda Hart and has been endorsed by GP and global menopause specialist Dr Louise Newson, who describes it as “a vital film that gives voice to women’s experiences.”
Grierson said: “I wrote The Pause because I was surrounded by women who felt stuck, changed and out of step with the world.
“I, too, lost my job and began questioning who I was. If horror is the only language the industry funds, then I will use that language, but I will use it to say something vital about who we are and who we become.”
The film arrives amid growing concern about midlife female attrition. UK Government research suggests around one in six women have considered leaving work due to insufficient menopause support.
Meanwhile the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development reports that six in 10 women say menopause negatively affects their working lives.
Early screenings prompted the creation of The Pause Powerhouse, a collective of Midlands-based women business owners delivering menopause-focused workplace workshops across the UK, reframing the issue as a structural concern spanning leadership, inclusion, culture and recruitment policy.
