Around 657 million women worldwide are estimated to be navigating menopause while working. That number alone demonstrates menopause is not a minority niche issue. It is a workforce issue.
In the UK alone, almost 5.5 million employed women are aged between 45 and 60. Many are highly experienced, established in senior positions and at the peak of their professional contribution. Yet this is also the stage of life when menopause symptoms can begin to affect how they feel and function at work. Most women will experience at least one menopause symptom, while up to one third may experience severe symptoms that significantly affect their quality of life.
“Women report feeling embarrassed about disclosing what they are experiencing or worry that doing so could change how they are perceived”
Menopause is far more than hot flushes
The menopause transition can affect women physically, psychologically and cognitively. Poor sleep, fatigue, anxiety, low mood, brain fog, memory difficulties and reduced concentration can all occur alongside physical symptoms such as hot flushes and uncomfortable urogenital changes.
For someone who has spent decades building professional expertise and confidence, suddenly struggling to find a word in a meeting, concentrate on a complex task or tolerate the same levels of stress can be deeply unsettling. Importantly, menopause isn’t a short-term event. While the average age of menopause is around 51, hormonal changes and symptoms can begin years earlier and the transition can last for several years (on average between four to seven years). The experience also varies enormously between women.
Yet it is often at work that symptoms become particularly difficult to navigate.
Women report feeling embarrassed about disclosing what they are experiencing or worry that doing so could change how they are perceived. Will colleagues think they are less capable? Will a manager question whether they can cope with greater responsibility? Will menopause somehow become shorthand for being past their professional best?
UK longitudinal research following 3,109 employed women found that 53.5% reported at least one severe menopausal symptom at age 50. Compared with women reporting no severe symptoms, those experiencing severe symptoms had 43% higher odds of leaving employment and 23% higher odds of reducing their working hours by age 55.
“Managers may recognise that an employee is struggling but feel uncomfortable raising the subject. Employees may want support but fear asking for it. Neither side quite knows how to start the conversation. That silence has consequences”
Beyond “just put up with it”
One of the biggest barriers is cultural. For generations, menopause has been something women were expected to get on with quietly. That legacy remains surprisingly visible in workplaces today. Managers may recognise that an employee is struggling but feel uncomfortable raising the subject. Employees may want support but fear asking for it. Neither side quite knows how to start the conversation. That silence has consequences.
When experienced women step back or leave, businesses don’t simply lose headcount; they risk losing decades of knowledge, leadership and expertise.
That is why awareness and education matter – and why menopause training shouldn’t only be directed at menopausal women. Managers need to understand what menopause can look like and, importantly, how to have a sensitive conversation without making assumptions. Male colleagues need to be part of the conversation too. Menopause may not happen to everyone, but almost everyone will work with, manage, live with or support someone experiencing it.
“When experienced women step back or leave, businesses don’t simply lose headcount; they risk losing decades of knowledge, leadership and expertise”
Meaningful workplace support
The good news is that supporting menopause at work does not necessarily require complicated or expensive interventions. Start by educating the workforce and particularly line managers. Give people a common language and make it clear that menopause is a legitimate health and workplace issue.
Next, create flexibility. Adjustments might include flexible hours following disrupted sleep, additional breaks, greater temperature control, changes to uniforms, access to quiet spaces or flexibility for medical appointments. What helps one woman may be irrelevant to another, which is precisely why a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work.
Organisations also need clear pathways to support. Employees should know whether they can speak to HR, Occupational Health, a menopause champion or another appropriately trained person – and what will happen when they do.
Finally, look at policy. Whether menopause has its own policy or is incorporated into existing health and wellbeing policies matters less than making sure it is explicitly recognised and that employees understand the support available. Most importantly, ask women what they need, rather than designing solutions for them.
“Menopause support is about recognising that an enormous and valuable part of the workforce may be navigating a significant physiological transition”
The employers who listen will lead
Menopause support isn’t about lowering expectations or assuming that midlife women are less capable. Quite the opposite. It is about recognising that an enormous and valuable part of the workforce may be navigating a significant physiological transition while continuing to lead businesses, manage teams, care for families and contribute at the highest level.
The organisations that understand this will not simply be creating more compassionate workplaces, they will be protecting experience, retaining talent and building cultures in which people can continue to perform through different stages of life.
Dr Linia Patel PhD, RD, MBDA is the author of Food For Menopause and Life After Weight Loss Medication, and an award-winning women’s health dietitian, performance nutritionist and public health researcher.
- References
Patel, L. (2024). Food for Menopause. London: Murdoch Books.
British Menopause Society (2025). Menopause and the Workplace Guidance: What to Consider. British Menopause Society.
Evandrou, M., Falkingham, J., Qin, M. and Vlachantoni, A. (2021). ‘Menopausal transition and change in employment: Evidence from the National Child Development Study’. Maturitas, 143, pp. 96–104.
Cronin, C., Abbott, J., Asiamah, N. and Smyth, S. (2024). ‘Menopause at work—An organisation-based case study’. Nursing Open, 11(1), e2058.
