An increasing proportion of the working-age population in Western countries consists of middle-aged or older women. Among EU countries in 2024, the employment rate of women aged 55–64 was 59%. The rate was lowest in Romania, at 43%, and highest in Estonia, at 78% (1). In Finland in 2024, the employment rate for women aged 45–54 was 84%, and 73% for those aged 55–64 (2). In high-income countries, menopause typically begins at an average age of 50–51, with a range of 45–55 years (3, 4). Early menopause occurs between 40–44 years (5). Therefore, a growing number of women in many countries will experience menopause during their professional careers (6).

Menopause affects women’s lives in various ways. Symptoms such as hot flashes, sleep disturbances, mood swings, and fatigue are quite common and may impair work performance, concentration, and the ability to manage tasks (6–10). Additionally, menopause can cause physical symptoms such as joint and muscle pain (11), which may make working more difficult. At the same time, it is important to remember that menopause is not a disease but a natural part of aging (12,13).

Support for women facing menopause in the workplace
Supporting work ability for those experiencing menopause is an important aspect of gender and age equality in the workplace and overall occupational well-being. Recognizing the need for support has sparked societal discussions, and many countries have developed guidelines for employers and employees on menopause-related practices. These include policies on sick leave reporting, flexible working arrangements, information sharing, training, and workplace modifications. The role of occupational health care is important and tied to the prevailing social and healthcare system, national policies and available resources. (14,15).

The need for research
In Finland, the impact of menopause on work ability has only recently entered public discussion. Recognizing menopause symptoms and providing effective measures to strengthen work ability and work participation has already been mentioned in government policy and current care guidelines (16), but funding for research and concrete measures are still not available. Addressing menopause overlaps with, but is not the same as, the broader issue of improving age management and supporting the careers of employees aged ≥55 (17).

Overall, menopause—as an aspect of women’s health and wellbeing—has received inadequate research ­attention and funding (18, 19). So far, research evidence on menopausal symptoms and work-related outcomes is mostly correlational and high-quality prospective studies are needed (10). Among the rare prospective cohort studies, one (20) suggested that women with severe menopausal symptoms had a higher risk of employment exit. Another prospective, register-based cohort study reported that an earlier menopausal transition predicted lower work participation and a higher disability pension rate in the following years (21).
The associations between the experiences of menopausal symptoms, the surrounding work context and work-related outcomes are complex, but—so far—the evidence is limited. For example, the experience of menopause and the impact of menopausal symptoms on work ability and work participation may differ by various background factors of the individuals and features of the cultural and social context. Also, menopausal symptoms may modify the relationships between physical and psychosocial work features and work ability and wellbeing (6, 22, 23). At present, there is a lack of adequate evidence to demonstrate the effectiveness of workplace measures for women dealing with menopausal symptoms (15, 24, 25). Qualitative research is important, as experiences of menopause are both individual (although often shared) and influenced by physical, social, and cultural contexts. Menopause can be a sensitive subject (26, 27). In low- and middle-income countries, the topic may be ignored due to negative perceptions, insufficient awareness, and societal stigma (28).

Conclusion
In a rapidly ageing global workforce, menopause in working life is becoming increasingly important and topical. A multidisciplinary approach (26), involving efforts from disciplines such as medicine, public health, economics, psychology, sociology, and gender studies, is needed to comprehensively examine the working life of menopausal women and develop interventions to protect and improve their health, workability, and labor market participation.

References
1. Eurostat [cited 15.9.2025]. Available from: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat
2. Statistics Finland. Labour Force Survey [cited 15.9.2025]. Available from: https://stat.fi/tilasto/tyti
3. Davis SR, Pinkerton J, Santoro N, Simoncini T. Menopause-biology, consequences, supportive care, and therapeutic options. Cell. 2023;186(19):4038-58. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2023.08.016
4. Mishra GD, Chung HF. Menopause, a stage in the life of women. Menopause: A comprehensive approach: second edition 2025. p:3–10. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-83979-5_1
5. Mishra GD, Davies MC, Hillman S, Chung H-F, Roy S, Maclaran K, Hickey M. Optimising health after early menopause. The Lancet. 2024;403(10430):958-68. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(23)02800-3
6. Safwan N, Saadedine M, Shufelt CL, Kapoor E, Kling JM, Chaudhry R, Faubion SS. Menopause in the workplace: Challenges, impact, and next steps. Maturitas. 2024;185:107983. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.maturitas.2024.107983
7. Hirschberg AL, Polo-Kantola P, Overlie I, Lokkegaard E, Cockburn E, Rea C, Kim JS. Prevalence and impact of vasomotor symptoms associated with menopause among Nordic women: Subgroup analysis from an international cross-sectional survey. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand. 2025;104(8):1575-86. https://doi.org/10.1111/aogs.15139
8. Nappi RE, Siddiqui E, Todorova L, Rea C, Gemmen E, Schultz NM. Prevalence and quality-of-life burden of vasomotor symptoms associated with menopause: A European cross-sectional survey. Maturitas. 2023;167:66-74. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.maturitas.2022.09.006
9. Clevis MGA, Nieuwenhuijsen K, van Valkengoed IGM, Oosterhuis T, Vlug A, Heijboer A, et al. Are health-related, lifestyle, work-related, and socio-demographic factors associated with work productivity among menopausal women? A systematic review. Maturitas. 2025;200. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.maturitas.2025.108646
10. Taylor S, Callahan B, Grant J, Islam RM, Davis SR. Menopause and work performance: a systematic review of observational studies. Menopause. 2025;32(8):769-78. https://doi.org/10.1097/GME.0000000000002557
11. Wright VJ, Schwartzman JD, Itinoche R, Wittstein J. The musculoskeletal syndrome of menopause. Climacteric. 2024;27(5):466-72. https://doi.org/10.1080/13697137.2024.2380363
12. Time for a balanced conversation about menopause. Lancet. 2024;403(10430):877. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(24)00462-8
13. Hickey M, LaCroix AZ, Doust J, Mishra GD, Sivakami M, Garlick D, Hunter MS. An empowerment model for managing menopause. Lancet. 2024;403(10430):947-57. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(23)02799-X
14. Rees M, Bitzer J, Cano A, Ceausu I, Chedraui P, Durmusoglu F, et al. Global consensus recommendations on menopause in the workplace: A European Menopause and Andropause Society (EMAS) position statement. Maturitas. 2021;151:55-62. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.maturitas.2021.06.006
15. Howe D, Duffy S, O’Shea M, Hawkey A, Wardle J, Gerontakos S, et al. Policies, guidelines, and practices supporting women’s menstruation, menstrual disorders and menopause at work: A critical global scoping review. Healthcare. 2023;11(22):2945. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11222945
16. Vaihdevuodet. Käypä hoito. Suomalaisen Lääkäriseuran Duodecimin, Suomen Gynekologiyhdistys ry:n ja Suomen Menopaussitutkimusseura ry:n asettama työryhmä 22.9.2025. [Menopause. Current Care Guidelines. Working group set up by the Finnish Medical Society Duodecim and the Finnish Menopause Society]. Helsinki: The Finnish Medical Society Duodecim, 2025 (cited 30.9.2025). Available online (in Finnish) at: Vaihdevuodet - Duodecim
17. OECD Employment Outlook 2025: Can we get through the demographic crunch? Paris: OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/194a947b-en
18. Smith K. The funding gender gap. Nature. 2023;617(7959):28-9. https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-023-01475-2
19. Menopause research is globally underfunded. It’s time to change that. Nature. 2025;637(8047):763-. https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-025-00150-y
20. Evandrou M, Falkingham J, Qin M, Vlachantoni A. Menopausal transition and change in employment: Evidence from the National Child Development Study. Maturitas. 2021;143:96 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.maturitas.2020.09.010
21. Saarinen T, Savukoski SM, Pesonen P, Vaaramo E, Laitinen J, Varanka-Ruuska T, et al. Climacteric status at age 46 is associated with poorer work ability, lower 2-year participation in working life, and a higher 7-year disability retirement rate: a Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 study. Menopause. 2024;31(4):275-81. https://doi.org/10.1097/GME.0000000000002327
22. Walker-Bone K, Davis S. Menopause, women and the workplace. Climacteric. 2025; 28(4):423-430. https://doi.org/10.1080/13697137.2025.2480591
23. DePree B, Lohrberg B. Effect of menopause in the workplace- socioeconomic differences. Curr Obstet Gynecol Rep. 2025; 14 (4). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13669-024-00410-0
24. Dennis N, Hobson G. Working well: Mitigating the impact of menopause in the workplace - A narrative evidence review. Maturitas. 2023;177. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.maturitas.2023.107824
25. Taniskidi A, Mitsinga E, Binnington D, Talaulikar V, Al Wattar BH. Optimizing the management of menopause at the workplace: A scoping review of workplace non-hormone interventions and impact on women with menopause. Menopause. 2025;32(9):889-98.
https://doi.org/10.1097/GME.0000000000002569
26. Thomas SL, Randle M, White SL. (Re)framing menopause: a comprehensive public health approach. Health Promot Int. 2024;39(3). https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/daae052
27. Thavabalan K, Ovenell A, Pierce P, Sutaria A, Parkhouse A, Baydemir N, Lally T. Barriers to the safe discussion of the experience and management of menopausal symptoms: A systematic literature review. Maturitas. 2025;201. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.maturitas.2025.108683
28. Islam RM, Rana J, Katha S, Hossain MA, Salekin SU, Chowdhury AT, et al. Menopause in low and middle-income countries: a scoping review of knowledge, symptoms and management. Climacteric. 2025;28(3):242-79. https://doi.org/10.1080/13697137.2025.2509254

Key terms editorial; gender; menopausal status; menopause; women’s health; work ability; working life