Menopause: When hormones harm the economy

When women talk about the menopause, and the associated problems — insomnia, difficulty concentrating, migraines, exhaustion — they often lower their voices to a whisper. There are currently around 11 million women of menopausal age in Germany, many of whom are suffering the effects of hormonal fluctuations, yet the subject is still taboo.

More than nine million of these women are in work. They constitute about a fifth of the working population.

At the same time, a third of companies in Germany are reporting a shortage of skilled workers, according to a March 2024 survey by the Ifo Institute for Economic Research. Demographic change means this is likely to be even more of a problem in future.

This makes it more important than ever for employers to look after the wellbeing of their staff. Yet until now the problems of women going through menopause have often been ignored.

Around one third of women suffer severe symptoms that can impair their ability to work. In addition to hot flashes, other menopausal symptoms may include joint pain, heart palpitations, concentration difficulties, depressive moods, and reduced self-esteem.

The menopause usually begins when a woman is in her mid- to late-40s, and usually lasts between ten and 15 years. It's a time of life when children have often left home, and women should be in a position to kick-start their careers again. The reality is quite different.

According to Andrea Rumler from the Berlin School of Economics and Law, menopausal symptoms are costing Germany approximately 9.5 billion euros per year in reduced economic output. Companies are losing around 40 million working days.

In 2023, Rumler conducted a survey of more than 2,000 women aged between 28 and 67. Almost a quarter of them said menopausal symptoms were a reason for reducing their working hours, and they had caused almost a fifth to change jobs. One in ten stated that they intended to retire early, or had already done so, because of the menopause.

Working through the menopause is harder in some occupations than in others. For example, if a female police officer on patrol suddenly has a very heavy menstrual bleed or a bladder issue, there isn't always a toilet she can access close at hand.

Menopausal symptoms are especially problematic for women working in the public sphere. Teachers, childcare workers, nurses, carers, and saleswomen cannot work from home, or take breaks when they need to.

This is particularly relevant for society, as some of these professions are staffed predominantly by women, such as nursing (85%), workers in schools (73%), and commercial office workers (more than 65%). These sectors are also among the ones experiencing a particular shortage of skilled workers.

For many women, not being able to talk openly about the menopause is a major burden. More than half of the women in Rumler's survey stated that the menopause was a taboo topic in their workplace.

"Many women in this phase of life are suffering at work, but they don't talk about it — out of shame, or ignorance, or for fear of being stigmatized," Rumler says.

This is why companies need to educate people about the effects and symptoms of the menopause. This information is important not just for the women affected, but for other employees and managers, too. "I'm constantly hearing from company physicians, or people in human resources who actively address the subject, that their bosses just dismiss it and say it's not an important issue," Rumler explains.

As well as removing the taboo around discussion of the menopause, it is also helpful if women are able to adapt their working hours and routines to their needs. Flexible working hours, needs-based task scheduling, and well-timed breaks can help with exhaustion, concentration problems, and insomnia, and can considerably improve efficiency and productivity.

For example, it is particularly important for female salespeople, sales representatives, production workers, bus drivers, and police officers to be able to access sanitary facilities quickly and easily. And since the menopause has, until now, barely featured as part of a doctor's medical studies, company physicians should be given appropriate additional training.

In recent years, things have begun to move. Britain, in particular, has made considerable progress. The UK parliament has launched a major study of menopause in the workplace, and guidance on the topic is part of the routine health check by the state health service, the NHS.

More than 7,800 organizations have now signed the voluntary commitment known as the Menopause Workplace Pledge. They include companies such as Vodafone, the BBC, and Tesco, as well as local authorities, schools, charities, healthcare providers, and small companies in many different fields.

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Vodafone, for example, is supporting its female staff with an e-learning course on menopause, and by offering flexible working hours. The accounting firm PwC has created the initiative "Menopause Matters," is paying for women to be treated privately for menopause-related conditions, and offers a health app with telemedicine consulting.

In Germany, a 2024 survey of employers by the-change.org showed that 63% still regard the menopause as a topic that is "exclusively" or "mainly" private. 74% of the companies surveyed had no measures at all to support women going through menopause. Only 7% said they provided "a lot" of support.

This article has been translated from German.