The intersection of severe health symptoms and prime career stages is pushing many women into lower-paying or alternative roles to cope with unmanaged transitions. In addition to work-related stress, these midlife changes frequently collide with demanding domestic responsibilities like eldercare or parenting. A 2023 Mayo Clinic study found that menopause symptoms account for an estimated $1.8 billion in lost work time annually across the United States. Without adequate workplace accommodations, these recurring exits threaten to exacerbate existing gender disparities in executive leadership and overall compensation.
Key points
Severe transition symptoms frequently strike during peak earning periods, derailing criti…: Severe transition symptoms frequently strike during peak earning periods, derailing critical advancements into executive and senior leadership positions.
Untreated menopausal symptoms cause substantial economic fallout through billions of doll…: Untreated menopausal symptoms cause substantial economic fallout through billions of dollars in lost work time each year.
A combination of healthcare education gaps and ongoing social stigma leaves workers witho…: A combination of healthcare education gaps and ongoing social stigma leaves workers without adequate tools to manage disruptive symptoms.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
Around 2020, Amy Terry noticed she didn't feel like her usual self.
The 50-year-old Michigander was working as a director of programming at a health association when she says she began experiencing symptoms like memory loss, low energy, mental processing difficulties — or, as she describes it, "waking up every day feeling like you were slogging through mud."
"I went from being this highly competent professional person to barely being able to get through phone calls," Terry says.
As the healthcare system strained under the weight of the Covid-19 pandemic, Terry, like many other people, struggled to get care. When she finally did, she found out it wasn't Covid-19. It was perimenopause.
Terry got through a few more years juggling her symptoms with her job, but by 2023, she couldn't hold out any longer. She quit to start independent consulting.
Women, and some trans and non-binary people, often experience career setbacks stemming from menopause that can hurt them financially and professionally. Four in 10 women who have experienced menopause or perimenopause say it has negatively affected their life or work,…
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