July 2023

Break through the stigma—menopause in the workplace

Approximately 1.3 million women in the U.S. will enter menopause each year¹ and 20% of the workforce are in some phase of menopause transition.² Many working women are simultaneously managing the physical and emotional effects of menopause alongside the demands of their careers—yet this issue is rarely discussed or openly addressed in the workplace.

Often felt to be ‘too personal’ or ‘taboo,’ employees and employers are simply not talking about menopause in the workplace. But that’s about to change.” —  Lorna Sabbia, head of Bank of America’s Retirement & Personal Wealth Solutions

Bank of America, in partnership with the National Menopause Foundation, is championing a broader conversation on menopause in the workplace through groundbreaking research reflecting the perspectives of female employees and male and female HR benefit managers.

This eye-opening report, Break through the stigma—menopause in the workplace, reveals the disparity between how employers view their support of female employees and how employees feel they are supported. The findings also signal the positive impact that menopause-specific benefits can have—both for employees and employers. Key findings include:

• A positive company culture regarding menopause is cited more than twice as often by employers than employees.
• There’s a 73-point gap between HR benefit managers (76%) who say they discuss menopause-related issues with employees and female employees (3%) who say they have talked about menopause with HR.
• Many employers say they offer menopause-related benefits while only one-third of employees say they are aware of the benefits offered.
• Women who have access to menopause benefits are significantly more likely to recommend their company as a great place to work as well as the products and services it sells.