Driving workplace and societal change for menopausal women
Women pay a high price for a natural process that unfolds at their career peak, as does society.
Lack of support stifling women's careers
Menopause impacts 70 per cent of women while employed. It can lead to challenges in the workplace that are not well understood, nor accommodated, causing disruption to careers and significant lost earnings.
Research by a team from Macquarie University Work, Health and Wellness Research Centre, led by Professor Rebecca Mitchell, aims to investigate the factors influencing women’s workplace experiences in the lead up to and during menopause.
Their project, running since 2022, found many women do have not access to workplace support at this time, leading to hesitation to take on – or even step back from – senior roles, in response to what has largely been seen as a private issue.
In conjunction with the University of Edinburgh, the research has identified common themes of decreased occupational wellbeing, early exits from employment and reduced working hours as key elements linked to workplaces that do not acknowledge the experience of menopausal women.
The collaboration showed their symptoms can affect workplace engagement, retention and career outcomes, including turnover, absenteeism and career progression, but there has been minimal research on this important topic.
In Australia, it’s estimated that disruption from menopause comes with significant financial and social cost, including $17 billion in lost earnings annually, with important implications for women’s contributions to and earnings on their superannuation.
The research estimates that 1.6 million Australian women are affected as they transition through menopause while employed, with one-third experiencing moderate to severe symptoms, and 20 per cent reporting significant depression. Other symptoms can be quite debilitating, including disruption to sleep, joint pain and mental fog.
Women’s health issues remain under researched, and both the specific physical and psychological needs of women are long neglected. Only now are changes slowly occurring as more recognition is given to the importance of women’s economic contribution – and the downside for the whole of society if this is not better addressed.
Women’s reproductive capacity is essential to society, so while pregnancy in the workplace is understood, it’s much less so for menopause.
“We have to accommodate pregnancy, and menopause is actually just another element of that capacity to reproduce that the whole world relies on,” Professor Mitchell says.
“If you're 30 and you're pregnant, you're not less valuable. If you're 50 and you’re menopausal, you're not less valuable”.
The researchers have worked with businesses and other organisations on ways to make meaningful workplace adjustments, beyond taking leave as this effectively treats menopause as an illness and adversely impacts women’s careers if they are absent and adds to the perception for women of them not being capable. While organisations want to do something, they are unsure what is effective.
One approach has been implemented by a health sector employer where they will provide access for midlife women to a menopause specialist where symptoms and approaches to managing them effectively can be discussed.
“This is an interesting and I think potentially very useful intervention they are providing,” Professor Mitchell says.
“And the idea then is that they are looking to assess the extent to which that intervention will support women not only to manage menopause and the challenges it brings but will help support their career longevity.”
If this is successful, it may also result in an upward trajectory for those women, who until now may have been felt there was no alternative other than to leave work early, or if they stayed, move to part-time work, or choose not to pursue promotions.
When recognised as a transition phase usually lasting about 18 months, then strategies for menopause challenges can be implemented and worked through, with appropriate adjustments, so women can come back even stronger.
“This is another area we’re interested in, as women may not just return to pre-menopause function, but increase their functionality in some ways,” she says.
The initial research was included in the expert reports presented to the Australia Senate Committee on menopause in February 2025, advocating for a national focus on the psychosocial impact of menopause.
Meanwhile organisations face issues around gender inequity and the costs of staff turnover, exceeding $10 billion annually. This research is important for policy makers, businesses, and academic institutions to develop interventions, improve workplace conditions and support for the inclusion of menopause-related policies to contribute to gender equality and economic growth. Increasingly, managers are also recognising the loss of talent and experience is a costly one for businesses.
In new related research with the local health district, Professor Mitchell is investigating the link between alcohol consumption and menopause. When women are dealing with increased anxiety, they may turn to alcohol to cope, unknowingly triggering even worse menopause symptoms, a process that needs to be better understood.
“It’s a vicious cycle,” she says.
Others in the team included Associate Professor Jun Gu, Professor Cynthia Webster, Associate Professor Lyla Zhang, Professor Zhiming Cheng, Professor Kerry Sherman and the University of Edinburgh’s Dr Belinda Steffan.