Most companies genuinely believe they’re supporting women in the workplace; Flexible schedules; Wellness initiatives; Leadership development programs…
On paper, it looks like progress and, in many ways, it is. But there’s something happening just beneath the surface that most organizations aren’t seeing clearly—and it’s quietly impacting retention, performance, and leadership pipelines.
Women in midlife are leaving– Not all at once and not always dramatically– but steadily enough to matter.
The Part No One Connects
When an experienced employee steps back, disengages, or leaves altogether, the explanation often sounds familiar:
- Burnout
- Stress
- Shifting priorities
- “Personal reasons”
Those things may be true but they’re often incomplete. Because for many women, there’s another layer happening at the same time—one that rarely gets named in workplace conversations: Perimenopause and Menopause.
What the Data Is Starting to Show
We’re only beginning to quantify the impact, but the numbers are already hard to ignore:
- Up to 2 in 5 women have considered changing jobs due to menopause
- Around 13% leave the workforce entirely
- Symptoms contribute to more than $1.8 billion in lost productivity annually in the U.S.
This isn’t a small, isolated issue. It’s happening during the exact years when many women are at the height of their experience—leading teams, driving strategy, mentoring others–And it’s largely invisible.
It Isn’t Just About Symptoms
When people hear “menopause,” they often think about physical symptoms but what affects work most isn’t always what you can see.
It’s the brain fog that makes it harder to find words in a meeting. It’s the sleep disruption that compounds over weeks and affects everything else. It’s the anxiety or reduced stress tolerance. It’s the catastrophic loss of confidence.
This is what no one talks about. These aren’t things employees typically raise in performance reviews. So instead, they quietly compensate, push through, or adjust.
Until something gives.
Where Companies Get It Wrong
Most organizations that do address menopause start with awareness. A webinar or a resource guide are easy to implement, but they aren’t enough. Anything that names it and brings it into the light is a good start.
The companies making real progress are digging deeper:
- Recognizing menopause as a workforce issue, not a personal one
- Equipping managers to respond with awareness and flexibility
- Creating ongoing, structured support—not one-time programming
- Acknowledging the impact on performance, not just wellbeing
This is too big to be an add-on. It should be treated as a major retention and attraction strategy for experienced talent.
The Cost of Not Seeing It
Replacing an experienced employee can cost 1.5 to 2 times their salary.
But the bigger cost is harder to measure. Losing you most experienced talent means a loss of institutional knowledge. Teams will be disrupted and leadership structures will suffer gaps. The next generation will suffer from a loss of mentorship. The cost is currently almost impossible to track but is inarguable.
In most cases, menopause is never identified as a contributing factor. It’s labeled as something vague and untraceable and written off as someone’s personal reasons.
A Different Way Forward
This isn’t about creating a new program or checking a box. It’s about recognizing a reality that already exists in your workforce—and responding to it thoughtfully.
At Women in the Pause, we work with organizations to approach this differently:
Not as a perk or a side initiative.
But as a retention and performance strategy.
Because the question isn’t whether menopause is affecting your workforce.
It already is.
The question is whether your organization is equipped to support the people going through it.
One Simple Starting Point
Start by asking a better question:
Where might we be losing talent—and not fully understanding why?
That question alone can open the door to a very different conversation.
Women in the Pause exists to bring that conversation into the open—through education, community, and practical support that helps both women and organizations navigate this stage of life with more clarity.
