The business case for partnering with Women In The Pause
Women 50 and older are the fastest-growing segment of the workforce — and the segment most likely to be quietly struggling, quietly underperforming, or quietly walking out the door. The Menopause Society’s 2024 consensus recommendations, developed with a panel of medical, legal, and HR experts, lay out exactly what that costs employers and what to do about it. The numbers make the case better than we can.
What Inaction Is Costing You
| $26B
Combined annual U.S. cost of lost productivity and excess healthcare spend tied to menopause symptoms |
2 in 5
Women who have considered or actually pursued leaving their job because of menopause symptoms |
0.5–2x
An employee’s annual salary — what it typically costs to replace them once they leave |
A Mayo Clinic study of 4,440 employed women aged 45–60 found a 13% rate of adverse work outcomes — reduced hours, missed workdays, quitting, or early retirement — among those with bothersome menopause symptoms, with risk rising sharply alongside symptom severity. Separately, a study of 500,000 women linked untreated vasomotor symptoms (hot flashes, night sweats) to a 57% increase in productivity losses.
The Silence Is the Real Problem
- Only 31% of women feel comfortable discussing menopause symptoms or experiences with anyone at work.
- 1 in 6 supervisors say they’re uncomfortable even setting up accommodations when asked.
- Up to 40% of women report struggling with menopause symptoms at work, and 11% missed work in the past year because of them — yet menopause remains one of the least-discussed health topics in most workplaces.
There’s Legal Exposure Too
Menopause isn’t a protected category under federal law, but courts have recognized that comments or actions taken because of it can constitute sex or age discrimination — and that menopause symptoms severe enough to affect a major life activity may trigger an employer’s duty to accommodate under the ADA. Employers who wait for a complaint to think about menopause are already behind.
What The Menopause Society Recommends
The consensus panel’s guidance to employers centers on four moves: review leave, healthcare, and accommodation policies so they explicitly cover menopause; adapt the physical workplace (temperature control, restroom access, flexible dress and scheduling); train managers to respond to disclosures with support instead of discomfort; and build toward a recognized menopause-friendly workplace designation. This is precisely the work Women In The Pause exists to help employers do — turning published clinical consensus into practical, implementable workplace change.
The Upside
This isn’t only about avoiding cost. Globally, enabling women to work to the level of their potential is estimated to raise economic output by roughly 7%. Employers who get ahead of this retain seasoned, high-performing talent at the peak of their careers, strengthen their standing as an employer of choice for women, and turn a topic that’s currently costing them silently into a visible differentiator.
Let’s Talk
Let’s talk about what a partnership with Women In The Pause could look like for your organization.
