The menopause transition comes up most often in the legal realm in the context of employment discrimination. The workplace is often a hostile place for women who begin to experience symptoms. In 2023, the Mayo Clinic conducted a study of women aged 45 to 60 years, assessing “menopause symptoms, the impact of these symptoms …, the care received for these symptoms, and treatments.” They concluded that the “severity of menopause symptoms strongly predicted the odds of an adverse work outcome.”

Despite the growing body of research on the menopause transition and accompanying discrimination, the law continues to lag behind in its understanding of the subject.

Photo by Christian Lendl on Unsplash.

People who “require visual aids…face communication barriers that prevent them from fully participating in the judicial process.” For “lawyers with disabilities, challenges can hinder their ability to fully participate and thrive in the field.” In fact, people with disabilities and blindness experience significantly higher rates of unemployment than able-bodied people, 12.5% compared to 5.9%.” Further, in a study evaluating “transportation-related stress” among people with visual impairments, it was found that people with visual impairments experience “higher stress…[when] navigating…and walking in unfamiliar places.” Psychological stress occurs when “people perceive environmental demands as beyond their resources and thus threatening or harmful.” To ease these anxieties, it is important for trial attorneys to know the accommodations available to them in courtrooms, and equally as important for all courtrooms to be consistent in their accommodations.