Menopause at Work:
From Echo Chamber to Mainstream Practice
When it comes to menopause at work, the vast majority of employees are not asking employers to buy something new. Instead, they want a more open culture; flexibility in when, where, and how they work; and medical and pharmaceutical coverage. Most of these benefits are already paid for. What is missing is the connection to menopause and clear communication.
Findings are from a national mixed methods study of 1,110 U.S. employees and human resource/benefits decision-makers
by the Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR) and The Fuchsia Tent (TFT).
Navigating Menopause at Work: The Employee Care Navigation Guide
A free guide that helps employees find and use the care and support their employer already offers during the menopause transition.
The guide is built on the 3H Framework™ from The Fuchsia Tent, which connects menopause symptoms to healthcare, help at work, and treatment access. Every section answers a different question, so an employee can open the guide at whichever page matches the question of the day.
A guide by The Fuchsia Tent and the Society for Women’s Health ResearchThe 3H Framework™ organizes the guide into three parts.
Menopause benefits and healthcare that are accessible and affordable.
How to locate and use the benefits and treatments already in an employer’s plan.
A framework for complex workplace conversations, including menopause.
The 3Cs of Compassionate Dialogue™ provide the words to start the conversation.
Evidence-based treatments, and tips to find what an employer’s health plan covers.
The treatment options a plan may cover, and where barriers to access appear.
Three worksheets at the back of the guide.
The Greene Climacteric Scale, the coverage record, and the care navigation record are ready to print and bring to the next appointment or benefits conversation.
Why the study matters
Employers are beginning to provide support for menopause at work.
This report is designed to provide an evidence-based roadmap.
Average annual family premium for employer-sponsored coverage. Source: KFF Employer Health Benefits Surveys, 2021 to 2025.
Workplace menopause support can feel like another siloed line item.
Employer health premiums have risen 6% to 7% in each of the last three years, and family coverage now costs nearly $27,000 a year.
Still, employers want to act.
In this study, 32.3% of decision-makers report that menopause support is currently in place or actively planned. Most haven’t started.
What's lacking is a clear picture of what employees want when it comes to workplace menopause support. This study answers that critical question.
of decision-makers report that menopause support is currently in place or actively planned.Most haven’t started.
Out of the echo chamber
Taking the conversation to the entire workforce.
Most menopause research surveys capture women already in menopause and invested in the topic. This study also captures the voices of men, deskless workers, frontline managers, and the executives who decide what gets funded. In this study, 51.3% of respondents are in the peak menopause years of 40 to 59 (n = 1,011).
- Women57.7%
- Men41.4%
- Another0.9%
- Desk-based75.2%
- Deskless24.8%
- White63.8%
- Black18.6%
- Hispanic / Latino16.6%
- Asian8.8%
- AIAN · MENA · NHPI4.5%
Race and ethnicity allowed multiple selections, so shares total more than 100%.
See everyone who took partShow lessDownload the full report
- 18–2917.0%
- 30–3923.8%
- 40–4928.6%
- 50–5922.7%
- 60+7.8%
- Northeast27.0%
- Southeast24.7%
- Midwest21.1%
- West Coast12.7%
- Southwest10.7%
- Mountain West3.9%
- Full-time onsite40.5%
- Hybrid39.4%
- Full-time remote20.0%
Health care was the largest of nine industries, at 22.0% of respondents.
Respondents were included in the analysis for each item if they provided a valid response to that question. Role at work allowed multiple selections, so shares total more than 100%. AIAN = American Indian or Alaska Native; MENA = Middle Eastern or North African; NHPI = Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. Age (n = 1,011). Race and region (n = 1,009).
Key Findings
Menopause at Work: From Echo Chamber to Mainstream Practice
When it comes to menopause support, employees care more about compassionate culture, flexible work, and benefits than anything else.
Across 1,236 written answers, a compassionate culture was the single most common theme, making up 24.7% of participant comments, with flexible work and time off at 16.0% and health and wellness benefits at 15.5%.
Each theme’s share of all 2,711 participant comments under the study codebook of 10 themes. Four smaller themes each accounted for less than 5%.
Comfort ≠ Disclosure
Among women who reported or suspected symptoms, 53% say they would be comfortable telling their direct manager, but only 21% have told their manager. With Human Resources (HR), 49% say they would be comfortable disclosing their symptoms, but only 6% have disclosed their symptoms to HR.
In the roundtables, women explained why: speaking up carries negative connotations and a cost to career progression.
Their direct manager
among women with symptomsHR
among women with symptomsThe workplace menopause benefits employees request most often are already in their plans.
Between 50% and 73% of employees surveyed report their employer already offers the benefits shown here, and every one can help with symptoms of the menopause transition. The connection is not being made.
Employees also reported Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) or short-term disability (67.8%), coverage for specialist referrals (55.4%), and well-being programs (49.8%).
Respondents could select more than one, so shares total more than 100%. The benefits come from the general benefits question (n = 1,101); the 9.9% bar comes from the menopause-specific question (n = 1,103).
What the findings mean for employers
The support women want doesn’t require new line items in the budget.
The four most-selected supports among women who answered (n = 596). 93% of women selected at least one support they would use.
Part 3 of the report identifies four actions that help employers integrate their menopause benefits for clearer communication and easier navigation.
Download the full report PDF, 16 pages. Free. No email address required.Free resources from SWHR and The Fuchsia Tent.
The Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR) and The Fuchsia Tent created this resource for the regional roundtables of Menopause at Work: From Echo Chamber to Mainstream Practice. Every resource is free to download and share.
Menopause 101
A two-page handout on the three stages of menopause, the most common symptoms, and why menopause matters for health. The second page adds a glossary of common terms and an overview of evidence-based treatment options.
About the study
A national study of menopause in the U.S. workforce.
Chief Executive Officer of The Fuchsia Tent.
Associate Director of Research Translation & Programs at the Society for Women’s Health Research.
The study was approved by Pearl IRB, an independent institutional review board (#2026-0131-DFT).
About the Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR)
The Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR) is a national nonprofit dedicated to advancing women’s health through science, policy, and education, and promoting research on sex differences. Founded in 1990, SWHR is making women’s health mainstream by addressing unmet needs and research gaps in women’s health. Visit www.swhr.org.
About The Fuchsia Tent (TFT)
The Fuchsia Tent (TFT) is a national workplace menopause research and consulting organization. TFT develops evidence-based midlife support strategies and resources that help employers drive retention, engagement, and performance. The Fuchsia Tent was founded by Kacy Fleming, MA, an Organizational Psychologist and former Head of Global Well-Being at Takeda Pharmaceuticals. Visit thefuchsiatent.com.
Frequently asked questions
How was the study done?
Menopause at Work: From Echo Chamber to Mainstream Practice was fielded from March to May 2026 and collected 1,110 responses, designed for breadth across gender, decision authority, work setting, and demographics. The study was mixed methods, combining quantitative and qualitative questions with regional roundtables in Boston, Houston, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Respondents provided 1,236 written answers, which were separated into 2,711 individual comments and hand-coded in four rounds under a final codebook of 10 themes and 153 child codes.
Where were the roundtables held?
Four regional roundtables convened employers, HR leaders, clinicians, policymakers, and advocates: Boston on April 24 at William James College, Houston on April 27 at Texas Children’s Pavilion, Chicago on May 4 at The Arts Club of Chicago, and Los Angeles on May 8 at WME. Discussions were conducted under confidentiality protections to allow participant candor.
Where can I read the report?
The full report is free to download from this page. No email address is required.
I’m a journalist. How can I cover this study?
Email kacy@thefuchsiatent.com with the subject line “Press inquiry: National Study” for the press release and interview availability with the Co-Principal Investigators.
How can my organization use the findings?
The report identifies four actions that help employers integrate their menopause benefits for clearer communication and easier navigation. To discuss a briefing for your team, schedule a 30-minute call or email kacy@thefuchsiatent.com.
How should the report be cited?
Fleming K, Goulmamine S. Menopause at Work: From Echo Chamber to Mainstream Practice. Society for Women’s Health Research and The Fuchsia Tent; 2026.