Growing numbers of women are taking their employers to court citing menopause as proof of unfair dismissal and direct sex discrimination, researchers have said.

According to the latest UK data, there were five employment tribunals referencing the claimant’s menopause in 2018, six in 2019, and 16 in 2020. There have been 10 in the first six months of 2021 alone.

Experts say the rise in cases shows women are increasingly feeling empowered to challenge employers who do not understand the impact menopause can have and offer them support.

“I can see that this will carry on building until such time as there are some really big, group lawsuits, which I’m sure there will be,” said Dee Murray, the founder, and chief executive of Menopause Experts, which carried out the research. “The women in a lot of the big companies are already setting up their own private, internal menopause support groups. If they decide their issues are not supported by HR, you could potentially have a real problem.”