Infographic: Menopause and Workforce Health

Employers aren't ignoring menopause. They're misreading it.

In August 2026 we surveyed 300 employed women aged 35 to 65 and 203 HR and benefits decision makers, all at US employers with 500 or more employees. Both surveys asked about the same thirteen workplace supports, so every comparison here is direct rather than pieced together from separate studies.

What we found:

• 76.8% of employers say menopause is treated as a legitimate health topic at their organization. 29.3% of women say the same. That 47.5 point gap is the widest in the study.

• Of the employers offering any support at all, only 41.3% actively communicate about it.

• Employers rate need higher than employees do on twelve of the thirteen supports. Health plan coverage is the exception, and it is the one women rank first.

• Among women with symptoms, 48.6% missed work in the past month, 42.7% report at least one career consequence, and 19.6% have seriously considered leaving.

The full report covers all thirteen supports, what predicts disclosure, the legal landscape as it stood when the survey closed, and where employers can start.