There are 8,760 hours in a calendar year. For a full-time worker, around 1,750 of those hours are spent working, which equates to roughly 20% of our total time. Over the course of a lifetime, full-time work amounts to the equivalent of more than nine continuous years spent working.

With these timeframes in mind, it’s important to enjoy what we do, or at the very least, to feel comfortable and supported at work.

Visibility

Experiences of comfort and support at work are not the same for everyone, and recognising these gaps is the first step towards workplaces where everyone, not just some, can thrive.

Historically, laws and workplace guidelines were created to protect workers in general, covering basics like maximum working hours or minimum temperatures in workplaces. One of the earliest examples, the Health and Morals of Apprentices Act 1802, set limits on working hours for apprentices in cotton mills and required basic ventilation and cleanliness.

Fast forward to the industrial boom of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, and the rules evolved. As women increasingly entered the workforce, particularly in textile factories where their labour was cheaper and in high demand, legislation such as the Factory Acts stepped in.

History

Although new rules were introduced to reflect the growing presence of women in the workforce, they effectively signposted women as weak and blocked them from promotion opportunities. For example, women weren’t allowed to operate heavier machinery, so naturally, they couldn’t apply for the roles tied to those tasks. On top of that, they were the only ones who could be fined for breaking these rules, since the regulations didn’t apply to men.

These early rules didn’t just protect women, they constrained them. Fast forward two centuries, and the legacy built by men, for men's design, is still reflected in areas of our working life today.

Progress

Women’s participation in the workforce grew significantly during the 20th century, first during the World Wars when men were away fighting, and later as social norms shifted and economic necessity increased dual-income households. Yet, even as more women joined, workplaces remained largely designed for men, leaving many day to day challenges invisible and unaddressed.

Women face realities in the workplace that are rarely discussed, from menstruation to fertility, hormone related brain fog, and workplace design. These are not minor inconveniences. They can affect health, focus, and career progression, yet most workplaces are not designed to accommodate them.

Menstruation is one area where biology intersects with work in significant ways.

Astronauts on long missions often choose to suppress their periods using hormonal contraceptives to reduce logistical challenges in microgravity, although some try to manage their cycles naturally (Harris et al., 2017; Schneider et al., 2021). This isn’t limited to space. Female athletes in cycling, gymnastics, running, and swimming sometimes suppress their periods to avoid bleeding or cramping during competition (Elliott-Sale et al., 2021).  Surgeons, pilots, and soldiers also report using hormone suppression during long stretches of high-demand work where focus and physical comfort are critical (McNulty et al., 2021).

More traditional roles such as teaching, social work and nursing can result in back to back sessions lasting 2 to 3 hours without a bathroom break. Here, women must rely on ‘tricks’ such as wearing more than one kind of sanitary product, and probably spend much of the day feeling uncomfortable. Systems designed to help, like a ‘pop-up’ staff request to cover bathroom breaks, can take the edge off some challenges but often leave women feeling embarrassed or judged.

Hormone fluctuations, from menstrual cycles, fertility treatments or menopause, can lead to ‘brain fog’, slower processing and forgetfulness. In roles requiring precision, such as coding, lab work, or handling numbers, this is a real workplace challenge that rarely gets recognised.

Fertility treatments add another layer of complexity. In the UK, there is no statutory right to paid or unpaid leave for IVF appointments. Employees often use annual leave, sick leave, or negotiate flexible schedules. Pregnancy protections only begin after embryo transfer, leaving failed cycles, miscarriage, or early pregnancy complications without formal workplace support. These experiences can have serious physical and emotional impacts, yet employer practices vary widely, and discrimination, intentional or unconscious, remains a risk.

Even something as basic as workplace temperature reflects male-centred thinking. The standard thermal comfort model used to set building temperatures was developed in the 1960s based on the metabolic rate of a 40 year old, 154 pound man (around 11 stone). For a job that doesn’t involve manual labour, this was considered comfortable at 16°C. As women generally lower basal metabolic rates, these lower temperatures feel colder, leaving them uncomfortable and less productive.

Adaptation

Many of these challenges do not have easy fixes, and sometimes the nature of the work makes perfect accommodation impossible. The goal is not perfection but awareness, openness and empathy. By speaking honestly about menstruation, fertility, brain fog and workplace design we can normalise these experiences, reduce stigma and encourage practical solutions wherever possible. Conversations alone will not remove every obstacle, but they ensure women’s realities are recognised and taken seriously.

In demanding roles, practical strategies are often the only option. A surgeon cannot step away during a critical operation, and astronauts cannot pause a mission mid-flight. Women adapt by planning around cycles, using suppression or layering products. The point is not to erase biology, but to acknowledge it and bring it into workplace conversations that remain rare.

“Still, far too often girls are given the message that their bodies, their lives, and their femaleness must be apologized for. Have you noticed how often women apologize?” Christiane Northrup, M.D., Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom

By Ashleigh Morris WeDWB   LinkedIn

References

Elliott-Sale, K. J., Minahan, C. L., de Jonge, X. A. K. J., Ackerman, K. E., Sipilä, S., Constantini, N. W., Lebrun, C. M., & Hackney, A. C. (2021). Methodological considerations for studies in sport and exercise science with women as participants: A working guide for standards of practice for research on women. Sports Medicine, 51(5), 843–861. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-021-01435-8

Harris, R. M., Fogleman, J., & Smith, M. (2017). Menstrual suppression in spaceflight: Considerations for long-duration missions. Aerospace Medicine and Human Performance, 88(5), 474–481. 

Health and Morals of Apprentices Act 1802. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_and_Morals_of_Apprentices_Act_1802

McNulty, K. L., Elliott-Sale, K. J., Dolan, E., Swinton, P. A., Ansdell, P., Goodall, S., Thomas, K., & Hicks, K. M. (2020). The effects of menstrual cycle phase on exercise performance in eumenorrheic women: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Sports Medicine, 50(10), 1813–1827. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-020-01319-3

National Health Service (NHS). (2023). IVF and fertility treatment guidance. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/ivf/  
Northrup, C. (2010). Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom (3rd ed.). Bantam Books.  

The 1833 Factory Act. UK Parliament Living Heritage.  https://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/transformingsociety/livinglearning/19thcentury/overview/factoryact/