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The local private security services must consider the older woman
Editor,
The local private security industry employs the largest population of female security personnel in the world, approximately 67 percent. A significant number of the women employed therein, are in the 45- 55 years age group, so they are in their premenopausal and menopausal years, which often present special management challenges in an industry still dominated by male supervisors and managers.
These managers are often ignorant and insensitive to the plight faced by this special category of workers.
Introduction:
Menopause is that rite of passage which marks the end of a female’s child bearing years and her assumption of a position of wisdom in her immediate family. It is characterize by the absence of the monthly menses cycle (menstruation) for a period of one year.
Female Climacteric:
Climacteric is defined as the period of life when fertility and sexual activity are in decline (in women) during and after menopause. The average age of Caribbean women at the time of menopause is 51 years, and the most common age range at which women experience menopause is 48- 55 years. Typically then, most healthy women will have 350 menses (periods) in their lifetime.
The first period is called the menarche and the time from onset of menses to its cessation is approximately 36.6 years. It is generally believed that the first period in life is subject to greater environmental influence while the last is more influenced by genetics, so that a woman experiences menopause at or around the same time that other close relatives would have experienced it.
Knowledge about Menopause:
in the past women in developing countries found it increasingly difficult to obtain reliable information on menopause primarily because most studies conducted on the subject was carried out on Caucasian females from western countries; and because the few studies done on non western women had severe copyright restrictions which made them inaccessible to women in developing countries.
It is very important to take cultural and genetic differences and circumstances into consideration in order to properly address the challenges faced by individuals within specific groups; hence the general lack of understanding of the subject in Guyana and across the developing world.
Today there is a World Congress on Menopause, specialty nursing practice on menopausal care, and menopausal provisions and clauses in modern work contracts; many foreign police departments and private security providers are now compliant in this regard.
Cultural Attitudes:
Most women of African descent are reticent or reserved with their views on matters of sexuality. They are often indifferent to conversations on menopause, which have negative consequences as information on the subject is often obtained vicariously, too late, or through unreliable sources which ultimately leads to lifetime crises and the lack of proper therapeutic intervention.
This fact must be viewed against the backdrop that women of African descent often experience the most severe symptoms and those which last for the longest period- sometimes over fifteen years. Cultural attitudes also influence the choice of intervention with the almost universal rejection of hormone therapy by black women.
Challenge:
Many middle aged women have a poor understanding of their bodies and tend to ignore symptoms which signal a departure from the norm, others blame menopause for symptoms which are rooted in other conditions for e.g. there are six other conditions which can cause’ hot flashes’—the dominant and most persistent of all menopausal symptoms. These are prescription medications, excess weight, food allergies, anxiety, medical conditions and a hot environment.
Symptoms:
There are numerous menopausal symptoms, but only a doctor can ascertain for sure that they are indeed symptom(s) associated with midlife changes. Hot flashes, irritability and what is known as menopausal rage are a few of the many symptoms. Some women experience tenderness in parts of their body, increased heart rate and a general lack of energy and wellbeing.
Solutions:
1. A good support system
2. A better understanding of your situation will lead to empowerment
3. Follow the instructions of your doctor
I sincerely hope males will do themselves a favour and read some more on the subject, especially those tasked with supervising women in male dominated management structures; many of whom are of the view, that menopause is just mind over matter.
Clairmont Featherstone
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