The business case for managing menopause
If menopause is going to blunt a woman’s performance at work – and ultimately, business performance – companies need to address it
AN OLD school friend would wake up twice nightly drenched in sweat, even with the air conditioning turned up to its highest. A female colleague spent two years walking around the office armed with a battery-operated fan, and was embarrassed to don light-coloured tops because of moisture marks around the armholes. Yet another girlfriend admitted to constant brain fog and lack of concentration.
These are all successful women professionals – a doctor, a lawyer and an accountant.
For me, it was extreme fatigue. For several days every few months, I would wake from eight hours of sleep feeling exhausted. Each time, I would wonder if I was coming down with the flu.
Menopause affects women differently, but I know of very few who go through this period of their lives without symptoms. Other complaints include mood swings, palpitations, migraines, joint pain, skin conditions, weight fluctuation and urinary symptoms. These symptoms affect women’s health, well-being and confidence, which could – and often does – spill over into their work.
It is a topic not often discussed, particularly in the business context. Women, especially successful leaders, are expected to make it in a male-dominated world. Raising an issue linked to both being a woman and ageing is anathema to that narrative.
Yet, menopause has consequences beyond the physical and psychological suffering of the individual. Research by the Mayo Clinic has found that menopause costs the US economy US$25 billion annually – including US$1.8 billion in lost working days alone. Bloomberg’s estimate is that global menopause-related productivity losses exceed US$150 billion.
BT in your inbox
Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox.
Andropause – the gradual decline in testosterone levels in men from around age 40 – only affects 10 to 15 per cent of men. Menopause happens to all women.
The cessation of periods typically happens to women between the ages of 45 and 55, lasting for up to 10 years. Assuming a woman works for 40 years, this means 25 per cent of her working life will be affected by menopause. It is estimated that 55 per cent of the global female workforce is going through menopause transition or in menopause.
Midlife is when women are at the high point in their careers and in leadership roles. The Mayo Clinic report warns, however, that “women may opt out of employment, and consequently out of the leadership development pipeline”. A 2022 US survey found a third of working women considering switching to part-time work or leaving their jobs altogether.
If the same is true in Singapore, we will see more women leaving employment, including top-level jobs, just as we are trying to level up gender equality, build up women leaders and encourage 267,000 women, of working age and currently not in the workforce, to return.
Medical intervention
When I went into perimenopause – the transition period before full menopause – about seven years ago, I consulted several gynaecologists.
The only treatment offered was hormone replacement therapy (HRT), the benefits of which not all doctors agree on. HRT did not help me much. When I looked to anti-ageing medical therapies, my doctor friends discouraged me because these were not a recognised medical field.
There was little information about the plethora of symptoms, including sudden and painful urinary tract infections that necessitated frequent trips to the accident and emergency departments of hospitals, let alone how different therapies or medications could alleviate them.
My experience is not unique. Bloomberg reports that “women entering midlife simply aren’t being given straightforward, accurate information by their doctors”. A 2019 Mayo Clinic survey of medical residents found only 12 in 177 respondents felt adequately prepared to manage the care of women experiencing menopause.
It is encouraging that the KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital launched a dedicated menopause centre last October, but I would also urge the medical community to look beyond the treatment of symptoms. It is also necessary to design interventions that help women optimise their health and well-being.
Raising awareness
Having more resources dedicated to the management of menopause will raise awareness about the condition, the symptoms and the treatments available.
This is important because women who think they are “just getting old” may not seek medical help. The additional leave taken for joint pains or heavy periods, and the lower productivity when migraines strike, will affect their work output. All this takes a toll on the financial bottom lines of their employers.
Greater public knowledge will also normalise discussions about menopause, and erase, or at least reduce, the dreaded stigma.
What businesses can do
If menopause is going to impact business performance, then companies need to address it. For a start, employers should ensure health and medical benefits include treatment for menopause.
More importantly, they need to send the correct signals to their employees and build supportive environments.
The stigma attached to menopause means women are unwilling or ashamed to bring it up in the workplace. Employers should discuss the struggles of menopause in the same matter-of-fact way they discuss caregiving burdens or other health issues.
Education and awareness will help colleagues respond with empathy, and give affected women the self-assurance to make working adjustments to ensure their longevity and continued success in their jobs. Microaggressions such as patronising attitudes and dismissive comments should be frowned upon.
Women undergoing menopause don’t want to be viewed as ageing invalids needing a handout. Most want to continue performing well in their jobs.
Interventions such as menopause support groups may be well-intentioned, but we should be careful that such initiatives do not backfire and relegate women to the ranks of lesser contributors. No woman wants to be labelled menopausal and have her contributions judged, or shortcomings excused, through that lens.
Finally, women leaders need to lead the charge by being open about their own challenges and how they are coping.
This article is me trying to do just that.
I’m often asked how I do everything that I do – from running a law firm, to managing an active practice, to my expanding community work. Well, some days, it’s a struggle just to get out of bed. Nevertheless, I don’t expect less from myself just because I’m menopausal; my colleagues shouldn’t either.
Menopause affects all midlife women. Medically, only diabetes and cancer rival it in terms of prevalence and predictability.
Suffering in silence is costly and stupid. For everybody.
The writer is joint managing partner, TSMP Law Corp
Copyright SPH Media. All rights reserved.
