Senator Webb co-hosted a roundtable event with Senator Cleare, Senator Rivera, and Senator Brouk. As Chair of the Women’s Issues Committee, Senator Webb is committed to increasing education and advocacy about menopause. 

The roundtable brought together advocates from across the country to discuss the challenges of navigating perimenopause and menopause, as well as current practices, policies, and research in this space. In New York, there are over a million women who fall within the menopausal age range, yet due to societal stigmas, they often do not discuss their symptoms, resulting in a lack of treatment.

“I was honored to co-host this important roundtable with four of my Senate colleagues,” said Senator Lea Webb. “Menopause is a completely natural part of a woman’s life. We must fight the stigma around this topic by creating convenient, trusted public resources that shed light on it instead of keeping residents in the dark. As Chair of the Women’s Issues Committee, I am committed to passing policy centered on closing gaps in women’s healthcare, including menopause.”

To address the lack of access to information on menopause and perimenopause, Senator Webb has introduced the following legislation.

• S.10265 would require that employers provide reasonable accommodations for people with menstrual or menopausal-related conditions in the workplace, and ensure that employees are aware of their rights to reasonable accommodations. 
• S.8543 would direct the Department of Health to establish and maintain a menopause informational and resource webpage on the department website. According to our most recent census, 51% of New York's residents identify as women. If over half of our population goes through menopause, it is the responsibility of our health department to provide them with reliable information about this stage of their health journey. 

In addition to Senator Webb’s legislation, she proudly cosponsors S.9247, which requires employers to provide leave for menopausal symptoms. 

The roundtable will be available to view in its entirety on Senator Webb’s YouTube channel. 

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