Stop the stigma: Addressing menopause in the workplace

Companies must address menopause stigma

Recently, many workplaces have begun to foster conversations about taboo subjects such as mental health and burnout. But menopause, a life transition that affects millions of employees—many at senior leadership levels—remains highly stigmatized. Our survey of almost 2,900 full-time employees in eight countries who are either currently in menopause or recently finished experiencing it sheds light on how menopause stigma affects them and what companies can do to reduce it.¹

We found that seven out of ten respondents (72%) have hidden their menopausal symptoms at work at least once. This is despite the fact that nearly all menopausal respondents (97%) experience moderate to extremely severe symptoms.

Organizations that overlook the experiences of menopausal employees and don’t take steps to mitigate stigma risk losing talented employees.

How prevalent is menopause stigma in the workplace?

Although 97% of respondents have experienced moderate to extremely severe menopause symptoms, 72% have hidden their symptoms at work at least once. The four most common menopause symptoms that affect work performance are sleep changes (67%), physical exhaustion (66%), mental exhaustion (62%), and hot flashes (60%). Although these symptoms are widespread, over a third of menopausal employees (36%) perceive a stigma against talking about menopause in the workplace.

One-third of employees (34%) have not told anyone at work about their symptoms. Seven in ten (70%) said it was because menopause is a personal issue while smaller numbers said talking about menopause was embarrassing (11%), could cause others to perceive them negatively (7%), or have a negative impact on their career (5%).

Of the 66% who have told someone at work about their menopause symptoms, 21% have told their manager, 8% have told HR, and 53% have told some of their colleagues.

Menopause stigma affects work performance

Over one-third (37%) of respondents said that their symptoms negatively affect their work performance sometimes, often, or always. Employee work performance suffers more in workplaces where menopause is highly stigmatized.²

Menopause and its symptoms are not the issue—but rather the lack of support for employees going through this natural transition. Organizations can reduce the stigma and thereby productivity impacts by recognizing and addressing the experiences of menopausal employees.

Which groups face greater menopause stigma in the workplace?

Some groups of employees experience more stigma than others. Employees aged 40-50 years old perceived more stigma against talking about menopause in the workplace (40%) than employees over 50 (33%).³ This may be why they also report hiding their symptoms at greater rates (76%) than employees over 50 (68%).⁴

Employees from different racial or ethnic backgrounds also experience varying levels of stigma. Indigenous⁵ employees perceive the most stigma.⁶ Nearly six in ten (58%) Indigenous employees agree that there is a stigma against talking about menopause in the workplace, followed by 43% of Asian employees,⁷ 35% of White employees,⁸ 30% of Black employees,⁹ 29% of Latin American employees,¹⁰ and 27% of Middle Eastern or North African (MENA) employees.¹¹ Given that employees from marginalized racial and ethnic groups already contend with experiences of racism and emotional tax (the feeling of being on guard to protect against racial, ethnic, and gender bias), menopause stigma is an additional layer of marginalization to navigate in the workplace.

• Raise awareness: HR leaders and learning and development teams can raise awareness and educate employees and managers about menopause stigma and its negative effects. In our survey, 42% of respondents said they wanted their organization to host menopause awareness and education sessions for all employees. Providing workshops led by health experts and offering educational materials can help reduce the stigma against menopause by normalizing open conversations about the topic, combatting gendered, ageist stereotypes, and equipping everyone with the information they need to support menopausal employees. Considering that 46% of women feel unprepared for menopause, these sessions also help to prepare and educate pre-menopausal and menopausal employees about what to expect during this life transition and the supports that are available to them through the organization and their healthcare provider.¹²
• Train managers: Create menopause-aware leaders and train them to engage in active listening, open communication, and empathy so that they can have conversations with employees who may be experiencing the menopause transition. Educate leaders about relevant policies (e.g., flexible working arrangements) and benefits so they feel empowered to provide work accommodation as needed and can suggest further conversations with HR.
• Lean on ERGs: Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) can be important partners in the work to combat menopause stigma. Regularly survey and seek feedback from ERGs to keep a pulse on what menopausal employees need and their experiences in the organization. ERGs can help organizations take an intersectional approach to combating menopause stigma by understanding how menopausal employees with different identities (e.g., race, generation, sexuality) experience the organization.

How to cite: Robotham, K. & Smith, E. (2024). Stop the stigma: Addressing menopause in the workplace. Catalyst.

Register to attend our upcoming webinar on October 30: Is it hot in here or is it just me? Supporting menopause in the workplace.

 

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Endnotes

1. We surveyed 2,891 full-time employees in a variety of industries, with top representation from business and professional services (n = 151), education (n = 372), finance, banking and insurance (n = 185), government and military (n = 183), healthcare and medical (n = 455), manufacturing (n = 201), and retail (n = 184) industries in Canada (n = 569), the United Kingdom (n = 641), the United States (n = 647), Australia (n = 520), France (n = 107), Germany (n = 157), the Netherlands (n = 90), and Sweden (n = 161). Our sample was mostly cisgender women (100%, n = 2,868) with some representation of other genders ( <1%, n = 8). Almost half of the respondents were White (48%, n = 1,110) and our sample included representation from other racial and ethnic identities as well (e.g., Asian, Black, Indigenous, Latine, or multiracial employees; 52%, n = 1,214). Most respondents identified as heterosexual/straight (90%, n = 2,535), and our sample represented other sexual identities as well (e.g., asexual, bisexual, gay, lesbian, pansexual, or queer employees; 10%, n = 282). Almost half of the respondents were between the age of 40-50 years (45%, n = 1,305), and the rest were between the age of 51-79 years (55%, n = 1,587). Note that participants could skip demographic questions, so totals may not equal 100% or total sample size.
2. A Pearson correlation was computed to assess the linear relationship between menopause stigma at work and menopause impacting work performance. There is a positive correlation between the two variables, r (2892) =.35, p < .001. The more menopause stigma there is at work, the more employees say that menopause symptoms negatively impact their work performance.
3. A chi-square analysis revealed that the percentage of people who report that there is a stigma against talking about menopause in the workplace differed significantly by age, χ² (1) = 11.71, p =.001.
4. A chi-square analysis revealed that the percentage of people who report that they have hidden their menopause symptoms at work differed significantly by age, χ² (1) = 25.01, p < .001.
5. Respondents were categorized as indigenous if they self-identified as an Alaskan Native, Indigenous, Native American, Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander or another Indigenous racial or ethnic group in Australia, Canada, the UK, or the US.
6. A chi-square analysis revealed that the percentage of people who report that they there is a stigma against talking about menopause in the workplace differed significantly by race, χ² (5) = 49.84, p < .001.
7. Respondents were categorized as Asian if they self-identified as Chinese, Filipino, Indian, Japanese, Korean, Pakistani, Hawaiian, Vietnamese, South Asian, Southeast Asian, Northeast Asian, Bangladeshi, Asian biracial, or another Asian racial or ethnic group in Australia, Canada, the UK, or the US.
8. Respondents were categorized as White if they self-identified as White and no other racial or ethnic group.
9. Respondents were categorized as Black if they self-identified as African, African American, Afro Canadian, Afro Central American, Afro South American, Black, West Indian, Caribbean, Black biracial, or another Black racial or ethnic group in Australia, Canada, the UK, or the US.
10. Respondents were categorized as Latin American if they self-identified as Central American, Cuban, Dominican, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South American, Spanish, Latin American or another Latin American racial or ethnic group in Australia, Canada, the UK, or the US.
11. Respondents were categorized as Middle Eastern or North African (MENA) if they self-identified as Arab, Armenian, Iranian, MENA, Turkish, or another MENA racial or ethnic group.
12. The silence and the stigma: Menopause in Canada. (2022). The Menopause Foundation of Canada.