Men and Menopause at Work: What Every Man Needs to Know

By Joe Warner, award-winning health journalist and best-selling author of Burning Up, Frozen Out – What Every Man Needs to Know About the Menopause (But No One Told You), he helps organisations build more empathetic, informed and supportive cultures. 

Menopause is already in your workplace – but most men still don’t understand it. Here’s why that matters, and how better awareness benefits everyone

Let’s start with the elephant in the office. The next time you’re at work, look around until you spot a group of four men together. According to research by healthcare provider Benenden, one of them doesn’t know what the menopause is. What’s more, two of them don’t believe they know anyone who has gone through it.

This is a big problem. Right now, around 13 million women in the UK – roughly a third of the female population – are in perimenopause or menopause, according to the charity Wellbeing of Women. Yet half of British men couldn’t name a single person they think has experienced it.

It means millions of men are working alongside a hormonal transition they barely understand – or don’t even realise exists. Which might explain why one in 10 people think a woman going through the menopause should be denied sick leave or time off for her symptoms, according to the Attitudes to Menopause at Work study.

I want to believe this is less about empathy than education – because most women haven’t been given the information they need either. Until very recently, menopause was rarely discussed openly at home and barely mentioned at work or in public. Research from University College London in 2024 found that just 2 per cent of women felt well informed about menopause before their symptoms started.

If women themselves have often been left in the dark about the hormonal changes ahead, it’s hardly surprising that so many men remain completely clueless. 

But ignorance cannot be the excuse. When men do not understand, they cannot help.

And that matters, because men are not just partners at home. They are also colleagues, managers and employers at work.

This is not a niche women’s issue that belongs only in GP surgeries or on Mumsnet. Menopause is happening in offices, schools, hospitals, shops, factories and boardrooms right now – and too many women are still being denied the understanding, support and practical adjustments that could make a real difference.

No one should suffer in silence

Menopausal women are one of the fastest-growing demographics in the UK workforce, yet many workplaces are miles behind. According to a 2023 CIPD survey, 67 per cent of women aged 40 to 60 who had experienced menopausal symptoms said those symptoms had a mostly negative effect at work. The same survey found that the symptoms most likely to affect work were psychological – mood changes, anxiety, reduced confidence, poor concentration, memory problems and brain fog.

That bit matters. Because when many men think about menopause, they picture hot flushes, a desk fan and someone getting a bit snappy for ‘no obvious reason’. Yet the symptoms that often hit hardest at work are the ones you cannot see. Constant fatigue. Crippling anxiety. Memory lapses. Lost confidence. Agonising joint pain. The list goes on.

In a poll of more than 4,000 women aged 45 to 55, 10 per cent said they had been forced to leave their job because of the severity of their menopause symptoms. The same research, published in the Menopause and the Workplace report, found that 14 per cent had reduced their hours and eight per cent had decided not to apply for a promotion because of their symptoms.

That’s millions of women leaving the workforce or limiting their careers simply because they’re not getting the support they deserve.

And those who stay risk having their professionalism and personality constantly questioned by naive (at best) and ignorant (at worst) male colleagues and managers. If a man doesn’t know that menopause can affect energy, memory, confidence and emotional resilience, he is far more likely to misread what he sees.

He might think a colleague has become disengaged, disorganised, less capable or more emotional. He might mistake a health issue for a performance issue. Or he might say nothing at all because he is too worried about saying the wrong thing. And none of these outcomes is helpful.

Standing up and speaking out

Men do not need to become menopause experts. Nobody is asking them to discuss follicle-stimulating hormone over a Pret sandwich. But they do need access to the right information and support – because that’s how understanding starts.

What men can do is actually very simple once they have that baseline. Understand the broad symptoms and how they might be affecting the person, not just their work. Listen more than you talk. Do not make assumptions. Do not give medical advice. Offer support, not solutions. Be aware of subtle changes in behaviour or performance that may signal someone is struggling. And if you are a manager, know your workplace policy and what reasonable adjustments are available.

The bottom line is simple. Men do not need all the answers. But they do need to know enough to stop being part of the problem.

Because if you are a man at work, menopause is not someone else’s issue. It is already in your office. The only question is whether you are helping make that workplace more understanding – or more difficult – for the women going through it.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Well Crowd. This content is for information and discussion purposes only and should not be taken as medical, health, or professional advice.