Perimenopause: Navigating the Workplace
The menopausal transition is a natural life stage that can have a significant impact on many working people, with far-reaching implications for career paths, wellbeing, and equality at work. Menopause is not just a health issue, it’s a gender and age equity issue and remains one of the last “unspoken” challenges in workplaces across Australia.
Menopause and the Gender Pay Gap
We’re living and working longer, yet menopause continues to contribute to the gender pay gap. Women are retiring on average 7.4 years earlier than men, often in their prime leadership years. Without the right understanding and workplace support, businesses risk losing valuable talent, expertise, and leadership at a time when gender equity in the workplace has never been more important.
Workplace Difficulties
With so many hormonally driven physical, psychological and cognitive changes, perimenopausal and menopausal symptoms can feel unpredictable and often strike at inconvenient times. Hot flushes in the middle of a meeting, migraines during a conference, or sudden brain fog while presenting, these are just some of the very real challenges people face at work.
Other symptoms include panic sensations, irritability, difficulty concentrating, memory lapses, and that frustrating “tip of the tongue” struggle with word-finding. When you’re trying to maintain performance in a busy workplace, these symptoms can be stressful and undermine confidence. Add to that the stigma and silence that often surrounds menopause, and the workplace can become an incredibly tough environment to navigate.
Impact on the Individual
Research shows more than half of women describe managing work during menopause as “challenging.” Around one in three report moderate to severe difficulties coping at work. Those at greatest risk of struggling are people experiencing financial stress, depression, poorer health, or unsupportive workplace conditions.
Menopause also has a major economic impact. In 2023, the Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees estimated that early retirement due to menopause costs around $15 billion annually in lost wages and superannuation. This highlights just how critical it is to create menopause-supportive workplaces, for both employees and the broader economy.
Impact on the Workplace
The effects of poor support and policy for individuals experiencing menopause have far-reaching impacts on the workplace too. There is little research on menopause and sustainable career outcomes (6), but anecdotal evidence suggests that many people experiencing menopause are also in their professional prime, so workplaces run the risk of losing valuable expertise and wisdom.
A recent Female Lead article captures factors contributing to many leaving or reducing work responsibilities during mid-life
“It’s a time in which there is a significant increase in the proportion of stressors… as professional women cope with a complex collision of care (children, siblings, partners, and parents), together with financial, work, and health issues (menopause or otherwise) — all of which have physical, mental, and emotional manifestations.” (7)
Menopause’s impacts can increase absenteeism, decrease productivity & negatively impact the psychological health of valued employees.
Recent studies show that 60% of respondents report the support at work was poor or below average (3). There is no doubt that awareness and support of people experiencing menopause is needed amongst employers in all sectors (2,3,4,6). but those with financial difficulties and those with jobs in which they feel insecure, unappreciated, or dissatisfied are at greatest risk (4).
Benefits of Being a Menopause- Supportive Employer
According to Menopause Friendly Australia, a leading provider of menopause workplace services, the benefits of creating a menopause-supportive workplace include: talent attraction and retention, support of diversity, equity and inclusion, fulfilling their psychological duty of care to employees experiencing menopause, boosting productivity and work satisfaction and reducing absenteeism (8).
The Path Forward
To reduce the high rates of people departing their careers due to menopause, workplaces must ensure their environments are adaptive and considerate of this natural life stage.
Not only can this retention strategy improve corporate performance and culture, but also supports societal gender equality and economic participation objectives. Open discussion and proactive measures will serve as critical steps in making menopause an accepted and accommodated aspect of working life.
Creating a Menopause-Friendly Workplaces
Workplaces can become more menopause-friendly through education and enhanced support, including:
Policy and Support: a review of policies, including those on flexible working and sickness and incorporating menopause support can contribute tosupporting gender and age diversity.
Managerial Education: educating managers about menopause's effects, reasonable adjustments, and supportive and sensitive communication is crucial.
Workplace Adaptations: assess workplace facilities to identify changes such as providing desk fans, access to cold water, and adapting uniforms and dress codes, reducing environmental factors that could worsen symptoms.
Employee Support: open discussion within the company, like menopause networks to help to normalise and destigmatise menopause in the workplace culture.
Advocating for Policy Change: Including national policies supporting menopausal individuals, urging governments to address the superannuation gender gap and mitigate its impact on experienced people in the workforce. Recognising menopause as a significant factor in this gap is crucial for policy reform.
How to Raise Menopause at Work
For many people, the hardest part is knowing how to start the conversation. Talking about perimenopause or menopause with your workplace or line manager can feel daunting, especially if the culture doesn’t usually encourage openness about health issues. But remember, you have the right to feel supported and understood at work.
Here are some ways to make the conversation easier:
Plan Ahead: Think about the main challenges you’re facing (for example, hot flushes, fatigue, or difficulty concentrating) and what simple adjustments could help. Writing these down can make the conversation clearer.
Choose Your Timing: Pick a moment when your manager is less rushed and able to listen. A private meeting is usually best.
Frame it Around Work: Explain how your symptoms are affecting your performance or comfort, and suggest practical solutions. For example, flexible start times, access to a fan, or the option to work from home on difficult days.
Bring Resources: Sharing fact sheets or the resources in The Info Hub here (like those from Menopause Friendly Australia or All About Her) can help managers understand that menopause is a recognised workplace issue, not a personal failing.
Know Your Rights: In Australia, employers have a duty of care under workplace health and safety laws. Framing menopause as part of diversity, equity, and inclusion can also strengthen the case for support.
Find Allies: If your workplace has HR, an employee assistance program, or a women’s network, consider speaking with them too. Sometimes collective advocacy is easier than going it alone.
Remember, you’re not asking for “special treatment.” You’re advocating for reasonable adjustments so you can continue doing your best work. And every time someone raises menopause at work, it chips away at the stigma and helps create change for others.
References:
References: (1) Menopause Friendly. (n.d.). Menopause at work. https://menopausefriendly.au/home/menopause-at-work/; (2) Jack, G., Pitts, M., Riach, K., Bariola, E., Schapper, J., &
Sarrel, P. (2014). Women, work and the menopause: Releasing the potential of older professional women. Melbourne: La Trobe University. Retrieved from https://apo.org.au/sites/default/files/resourcefiles/2014-09/apo-nid41511.pdf; (3) Circle In. (2021, March 30). Driving the change: Menopause and the workplace. Retrieved from
https://circlein.com/research-and-guides/menopause-at-work/; (4) D'Angelo, S., Bevilacqua, G., Hammond, J., Zaballa, E., Dennison, E. M., & Walker-Bone, K. (2022). Impact of menopausal symptoms on work: Findings from Women in the Health and Employment after Fifty (HEAF) Study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health,
20(1), 295.; (5) Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees. (n.d.). The Treasury. https://treasury.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-03/c2023-379612-
australian_institute_of_superannuation_trustees.pdf; (6) Van der Heijden, B. I. J. M., Pak, K., & Santana, M. (2021). Menopause and sustainable career outcomes: A science mapping
approach. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(23), 12559.; (7) Ryan, L. (2023, October 14). Forget the crisis: Forget the crisis. The ‘midlife collision’
is real and affecting a large part of the workforce. Fast Company. https://www.fastcompany.com/90966565/forget-the-crisis-the-midlife-collision-is-real-and-affecting-a-large-
part-of-the-workforce; (8) The Menopause Friendly
*All About Her - The Centre for Menopause acknowledges that all people born with ovaries and who live long enough will experience the menopause transition. This includes cisgender women, transgender men, non-binary individuals, and any other individual with ovaries. We use the terms
individuals/people to be inclusive of the many who do not identify as women, but who will nonetheless experience this significant life stage.
Disclaimer: The information presented is for general understanding only and should not substitute professional medical advice. If you are concerned about your health, talk to your doctor or healthcare team for personalised guidance.
© All About Her Centre 2024