Menopause in the Workplace: Why It Matters for Employees, Employers and the Economy
- Jul 28, 2024
- 3 min read
Updated: 4 days ago
Miyara Women | Jul 28, 2024 | Updated: Sep 15, 2025
Are there women in powerful decision-making roles in your organisation?
Have you ever taken time off or cut back on hours due to perimenopausal symptoms? If yes, did you mention the real cause? Do you fear that opening up about it will invite bias, a sympathetic image, stereotyping — a loss of dignity and professional standing?
Do you think your organisation is open to the menopause conversation, and actually offers support?
Menopause Impacts Women's Productivity
These are findings from studies and surveys across the globe:
Women's representation in senior and top management declines as they move up the ladder. At least one-third to half of women experiencing menopausal symptoms report that they impact work life and productivity. Most women are not comfortable discussing this at work — fearing bias, being seen as old or unprofessional, being overlooked for promotion, or encountering a lack of empathy and formal support channels.
A key finding from the Bank of America study reveals a striking disconnect: while 3 out of 4 HR managers believe they are open to conversations around menopause, fewer than 5% of women employees feel the same.
Here is a personal account from one of Miyara's clients in India:
"I was a single, workaholic urban woman in my mid-forties when perimenopause struck. Then began the hot flushes, chills, insomnia, anxiety, stress-induced panic, medium-grade depression, hyper-vacillating thoughts, violent urges, triggering environments, existential worries — all the time, for years. I had to quit my job as I felt suicidal. Till date, no one believes me. It would have helped if my immediate environment was kind, generous, and compassionate, given the menopause hell that I am in."
Why Is Menopause Not Just a Personal Problem?
The menopausal transition aligns precisely with a critical phase in a woman's career — when she is either consolidating her position or moving into senior and management roles. Symptoms can disrupt quality of life physically, emotionally, and psychologically, triggering a confidence crisis in otherwise successful and energetic women. There are also documented reports of women being laid off for poor performance close to menopause. The lack of education, care, and support can lead powerful and talented women to call it quits entirely.
The economic consequences are now well-quantified. A 2023 Mayo Clinic study published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings estimated the annual economic toll of menopause in the US alone at $26.6 billion — including $1.8 billion in lost wages. Globally, AARP's 2023 national survey puts worker productivity losses from menopausal symptoms at $150 billion, with related healthcare costs exceeding $600 billion. Women spend an average of 24 years in the workforce while in the menopausal state — making this not a niche issue, but a structural one.
A 2024 review in Maturitas by Mayo Clinic researchers confirms that adverse work outcomes — reduced productivity, absenteeism, job changes, and early retirement — are directly linked to menopausal symptoms, and that supportive workplace environments with flexible hours and strong managerial awareness significantly reduce this impact.
Be the Change You Want to See
The top reason menopause benefits are absent in US workplaces, according to employers, is that women have not asked for them.
Under the cultural conditioning of South Asia, speaking out is all the more difficult. Women of colour undergo menopause earlier and experience more intense symptoms. It is not enough for women to simply gain knowledge about this phase — they must be vocal when facing debilitating challenges, and request time off or flexible arrangements, just as one would during maternity.
The key to change is awareness and sensitisation — not just for women about their bodies, but for men in top management. In the wake of the diversity-equity-inclusion movement, menopause is a natural and urgent place for companies to focus. The Menopause Society's 2024 Workplace Consensus Recommendations now explicitly call on organisations to establish menopause-specific policies, manager training, and flexible work provisions — a clinical and institutional mandate, not just a cultural nice-to-have.
Miyara Health offers awareness and sensitisation workshops for workplace teams — helping organisations retain valuable women employees, create an inclusive and empathetic environment for women in midlife, and improve productivity and job satisfaction at this life stage.
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