{
  "id": 12082988,
  "title": "Stop telling women to talk about menopause at work",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/05/stop-telling-women-to-talk-about-menopause-at-work",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-10-05T05:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Fast Company",
    "slug": "fast-company",
    "url": "https://www.fastcompany.com/91614123/stop-telling-women-to-talk-about-menopause-at-work"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Menopause, once considered taboo, has recently gained mainstream attention, with celebrities and experts openly discussing the transition. While this increased conversation is a step forward for women's health awareness, its impact on corporate culture remains limited. As a corporate professional, the author observed that few women felt comfortable discussing menopause at work, often seeking solace in closed-door conversations with trusted friends. The author's own struggle with menopause symptoms led her to co-lead a study on menopause in the workplace, revealing a significant disconnect between women's comfort level in discussing menopause and their willingness to do so.\n\nThe survey of 1,110 U.S. employees found that while 53% of symptomatic women were comfortable telling their manager, only 21% actually disclosed their symptoms. This disparity widened when it came to HR, with just 6% of symptomatic women disclosing their struggles to personnel. The root cause of this gap was found to be the fear of career repercussions, with women fearing that revealing menopause could negatively impact their professional progression. Moreover, the study uncovered that all genders contributed to the silencing of menopause conversations, with some participants admitting to suppressing discussions due to perceived stigma.\n\nThe author's study also highlighted that only 46% of workers believed their work culture supported open discussions about menopause. This lack of openness is concerning, as menopause is estimated to cost businesses $26.6 billion in healthcare costs and lost productivity annually. Furthermore, many employees with menopause symptoms experienced economic penalties, including a 10% decline in earnings within the first year of diagnosis and increased contemplation of leaving or reducing work hours due to symptoms.\n\nTo address the menopause crisis in the workplace, employers must take proactive measures before employees feel comfortable disclosing their symptoms. Key steps include auditing existing benefits, providing education on menopause, and offering resources specifically tailored to menopause support. By taking these actions, businesses can ensure that menopause-related needs are met, improving employee well-being and productivity.",
  "summary": "Recently, menopause has gone from taboo to mainstream, with celebrities turning “the change” into a status symbol and vocal clinicians becoming household names. Those brave women paved the way for more conversation, catalyzing focus and research on women’s health, and we should all be grateful. But what happens in media and pop culture rarely transfers to corporate culture. As a 22-year corporate…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}