The Know Daily - Thursday 22 February 2024

_{Read in 5m 37s ∙ Listening to Hinds ∙}

Hedgehogs in the UK have had some “unexpected good news”: their numbers may finally be increasing, following decades of decline. Sightings of the spiky creatures were up 2% this year, according to a count by readers of BBC Gardeners’ World magazine - and we’ll leave a guide to making your neighbourhood more hedgehog-friendly right here.

🧑‍💼 Menopause in the workplace

Employers could be sued for discrimination if they do not make “reasonable adjustments” for women going through the menopause.

Tell me more…
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has today released new guidance for employers. It states that menopause symptoms - which include brain fog and difficulty sleeping - can be a disability under UK law, if they have a long-term and “substantial” impact on a woman’s ability to carry out day-to-day tasks.

This means that under the Equality Act 2010, an employer who fails to make “reasonable adjustments” could face legal action. 

What could these adjustments look like?
According to the guidance, adjustments might include “letting women work from home or wear cooler clothes”, along with “providing rest areas in offices”, reported the BBC. The EHRC has also said that language that “ridicules someone’s symptoms” could constitute harassment.

What’s behind the new guidance?
It comes amid “concern over the number of women leaving their jobs due to [menopause] symptoms”, said The Guardian, with research showing that one in 10 women have done so. 

Postmenopausal women represent the fastest-growing demographic in the workforce, noted The Times, with nearly five million women aged 50-64 in employment. 

How has it been received?
While many menopause campaigners have welcomed the updated guidance, The Times pointed out that the reaction has not been universal, with radio presenter Mariella Frostrup questioning the appropriateness of considering “a perfectly natural life stage” as a disability.

But EHRC chairwoman Baroness Kishwer Falkner said the guidance aims to clarify employers’ responsibility to protect their staff. “We hope that this guidance helps ensure every woman going through the menopause is treated fairly and can work in a supportive and safe environment,” she said.

💋 A date in court

Six disheartened dating app users have proposed legal action against Match Group, claiming its apps - which include Tinder and Hinge - encourage compulsive use.

What’s the claim, exactly?
The proposed class-action lawsuit - filed (somewhat dramatically) on Valentine’s Day in California - accuses the apps of deliberately fostering addiction through their use of game-like features and an algorithm that rewards “compulsive use”. 

The plaintiffs said that Match’s “predatory” business model employs features that manipulate users’ dopamine levels, turning them into "gamblers locked in a search for psychological rewards", reported The Guardian. This, the plaintiffs allege, pushes people into paying for expensive subscriptions and premium features. 

What do they hope to gain?  
A few things. First, the six users are seeking "unspecified damages” for subscription payments made over the past four years, as well as greater transparency around the addictive nature of the platforms.

They have also called for the removal of Hinge’s slogan “designed to be deleted", arguing that the apps encourage users to “do the opposite”.

How have the apps responded?
Match Group - the parent company of Hinge and Tinder - has dismissed the claims as "ridiculous”. The group claims that it “actively strives to get people on dates every day and off our apps”, and that its business model “is not based on advertising or engagement metrics”, reported Reuters.

And what do the  experts have to say? 
They’re pretty divided. Mia Levitin, author of The Future of Seduction, told The Guardian that “smartphones are just as addictive as cigarettes,” and that it’s no surprise the matter has come to court. 

But psychologist and relationship coach Jo Hemmings told The Washington Post that the lawsuit is “a bit absurd” and that “responsibility lies in the hands of the user”, rather than with the apps. “It’s about using the app mindfully [...] rather than just ‘swipe, swipe, swipe’”, she added.

👏 Alopecia breakthrough: A medication to treat alopecia has been recommended for NHS use for the first time, in a “monumental day” for thousands.

🏛️ Commons commotion: House of Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle apologised for his handling of a motion calling for a ceasefire in Gaza yesterday, after the chamber “descended into chaos”. 

🎥 Film gender gap: Despite Barbie’s box-office success, 2023 marked a “historic low” for the number of female leads in Hollywood films.

🇺🇸 Biden's Putin putdown: The US president - “known for a tendency to go off script”  - labelled Russia’s President Putin a “crazy SOB” at a fundraiser yesterday.

🐋 Humpback harmony: Scientists have solved the mystery of how whales - some of the most “enigmatic animals” on the planet - can sing underwater

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Trivia answer: A) Basil Fawlty is “to make his West End debut” in May, reported The Guardian - with the stage adaptation of the 1970s sitcom set to bring together the plots of three famous episodes. 

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