Data shows that women are opting out of work — often citing menopause-related challenges — during the exact moment when they have the most to contribute.
With nearly 50% of women in the U.S. — more than 75 million women — currently in perimenopause or menopause, this topic is finally getting the attention it deserves. While menopause and perimenopause affect each woman differently, the aggregated health effects are significant.
Women in leadership are departing their roles more quickly than ever. Women's representation among all senior leadership positions in the U.S. decreased to its lowest rate in more than a decade this year, per a Standard & Poor’s Market Intelligence Report . Bonafide , a women’s health company, released a survey of 2,000 women aged 40 to 64 that found more than 50% of women felt that menopause symptoms had an impact at work. That number jumps to 76% for women ages 40 to 49.
These are employees at the peak of their professional arcs, with decades of experience in the workplace, and losing this valuable talent pool poses a material risk to companies. As of spring 2024, only 15% of companies surveyed by Mercer reported that they have or intend to add benefits targeting the menopause needs of their workforce. The recently released RMH@Work Corporate Index found that none of the 100 largest U.S. employers currently have menopause policies in place.
Companies can’t be blamed for being slow to integrate benefits; there has been a dearth of funding to understand menopause and how to best treat it, and therefore little clarity around how to best provide support in the workplace. Earlier this year, the federal government committed $12 billion in funding for women’s health research and has highlighted that menopause research will be a priority focus for the National Institute of Health. With this investment in research, we should expect to see effective care options for women in the coming years.
While we wait for those data-informed recommendations, employers may wonder how to support their workers in the interim. Here are three actions that have proven to be successful:
1. Facilitate meaningful discussions across your organization to raise awareness and normalize discussion of the impact that menopause and perimenopause have on your workforce. Host listening sessions, include outside experts and create safe spaces for workers to share their personal experiences and identify how they need to be supported. Engaging women’s ERGs can help to change perception and improve understanding of menopause for the whole workforce.
2. Review workplace policies to ensure that menopause is explicitly called out where relevant. An easy starting point is for companies to include menopause and perimenopause symptoms, as well as menstrual symptoms, as qualified reasons to use paid sick leave as needed. Review employer-sponsored health plan offerings to identify menopause-specific health benefits and, if none exist, consider adding a third-party platform (Elektra Health, Peppy, Midi, Evernow and others) to offer supplemental health services.
3. Train all people managers to be aware of the impact of menopause on employees and understand of how to support them. With sensitivity to the issue and understanding of an employer’s menopause-related policies and benefits, managers can be the frontline support for workers experiencing health complications.
Implementing these practices demonstrates a company’s commitment to supporting its workforce. As companies thoughtfully take action to support women in menopause, data should start to show improved retention of this talent pool. That will be a win for all — top talent will sustain meaningful contributions in the workplace, and companies will benefit from improved financial performance.
Editor’s note: Flory Wilson is founder and CEO of Reproductive & Maternal Health Compass , a nonprofit focused on advancing RMH benefits available to U.S. workers. Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at AzOpinions@iniusa.org .
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