The silent turmoil of menopause that many working women endure is not only compromising their health and performance, but it’s also imposing a substantial economic burden on the Canadian workforce. As per a study conducted by the Menopause Foundation of Canada, a third of working women have confessed their struggle with various menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes, insomnia, and joint pain, adversely affecting their productivity at work.
The toll of this unaddressed issue does not end with compromised productivity. The foundation’s data suggests a staggering annual loss of $237 million to Canadian employers due to diminished productivity resulting from unmanaged menopausal symptoms. For the affected women, the implications are far more personal – an alarming annual loss of $3.3 billion in income as their employment hours cut or even relinquished entirely due to their waning health.
According to Janet Ko, the president and co-founder of the foundation, the societies’ failure to address and discuss menopause openly lies at the heart of this issue, perpetuating a cycle of misinformation and confusion. The stigmatized image of menopausal women, she asserts, stems from the problematic societal norm to devalue women as they age, robbing them of their right to communicate about a universal experience.
The bearing of menopause on the workforce is far reaching. Menopause commonly begins between the ages of 45 and 55, lasting approximately seven years, and running up to 14 years in some cases. This time frame overlaps significantly with women’s peak working years, thereby magnifying the issue. Data from Deloitte puts this into perspective, attributing around 540,000 lost workdays to managing menopausal symptoms.
Despite this widespread disruption, 87% of surveyed working women report a lack of support from their employers to navigate menopause. This could offer a chance for employers to fill this void by fostering more supportive workplaces.
Ko offers her suggestions on how employers can take the lead on this front, emphasizing the need for adjustments within the existing framework to accommodate women’s health. She suggests breaking the menopause taboo through information sessions, creating menopause support groups, revising employee benefits to incorporate menopausal treatments such as hormonal therapy, and making workplace-specific accommodations to create a conducive environment.
As part of their ‘Menopause Works HereTM’ initiative, the foundation appeals to employers across Canada to step up and contribute to improving the wellbeing of their working women experiencing menopause. Leading the way, SunLife has pledged its support to the campaign, and Dalhousie University has initiated the creation of a menopause support group, proving that change is not only necessary but also possible.
All these collective efforts presage a future where knowledge replaces silence, and support overshadows isolation in the lives of working women dealing with menopause. “We [Generation X] will be the last generation of women to endure the silence around menopause”, Ko optimistically predicts. The narrative around menopause needs a drastic shift, recognizing the valiant efforts and societal contributions of women in their prime.
