October Study shows male managers ill-equipped to support women in menopause in the workplace

Researchers set out recommendations for public sector organisations to help inform men on menopause at work

New research has revealed that male colleagues and managers know little about menopause in the workplace.

The study – Menopause in the workplace – was carried out by academics in University of Galway and University College Cork and included surveys of more than 1,600 workers across seven public sector organisations in Ireland.

The findings have been released to mark World Menopause Day on Saturday, 18 October 2025.

The research was carried out to explore men’s attitudes to and knowledge of menopause at work; the attitudes of other workers who are not experiencing menopause; and the impact of menopause on work outcomes for women – while also identifying interventions to support women.

A series of recommendations have been set out alongside the survey findings:

• Given that almost 80% of CEOs and 70% of C-suite executives in Ireland are male, bespoke menopause training and information should be provided to male board members, senior executives, managers and colleagues.
• To encourage male colleagues to be menopause allies, organisations should offer information sessions and anonymous Q&A formats, so that men are equipped to support women in their menopause journey.
• Nearly 1 in 10 women leave their jobs due to menopause symptom severity, therefore menopause at work represents a whole of organisation issue and should be discussed as part of a broader conversation about employee wellbeing, productivity and retention.

Dr Maeve O’Sullivan, College of Business Public Policy and Law, University of Galway, said: "The survey findings offer a snapshot of experiences, which in turn is drving these recommendations. One of the key findings is the low level of input from men. So, not only can we see a low level of men who are informed, there is also a low level of engagement with this issue. Workplace leadership has a responsibility to address this, for the benefit of both women and men.”

The research team analysed responses to an online survey from 1,600 people, including 1403 women and 240 men.

Some of the key findings were:

• One-third of men (37%) feel they are not well informed about menopause, while 3% felt very informed.
• Almost half of women (43%) feel a little informed.

• Four out of five men (80%) don't know if their company has a menopause policy, compared with three in four women (75%).
• No men, who are line managers and whose direct reports have spoken to them about menopause, feel very equipped to discuss the subject and offer support.
• One in eight men (13%) believe that menopause is only spoken about between female colleagues, compared with almost one-third of females (32%).
• 7% of men believe that menopause is a 'taboo' subject, compared with 9% of females.
• Almost two-thirds of men (61%) felt that organisations should adjust the physical work environment for those going through menopause. This compares with more than three in four women (76%).

• Approximately one in six men (16%) believe that organisations should not adjust the physical work environment for those going through menopause. This compares with one in 10 women (10%).
• 87% of women and 78% of men felt that organisations should provide training for line managers and supervisors on how to support women going through menopause.
• Some 75% of men who responded said that organisations should offer support to women going through menopause, compared with 84% of women.
• While 62% of women have discussed their menopause with their co-workers, only 1 in 8 (12%) have spoken to their manager about it, underlining a lack of trust or fear among these women.

Dr O’Sullivan added: “Many organisational decision-makers are male, despite this, little is known about menopause in the workplace. It’s not simply a gender or age issue but can impact the entire organisation.

“Our study's findings show that more than three-quarters of line managers surveyed do not feel at all equipped to support their female direct reports. This highlights the urgent need to inform and equip men at all levels in the organisation to support women in their menopause journey. Menopause is not simply a female issue.

“This is an organisational issue in the context of senior leadership tending to be more male than female. What sort of message are we sending out and how are we equipping our organisation leaders to support employees going through menopause?”

Dr Elaine O'Brien, University College Cork said: "Despite menopause being widely discussed in society, there is very little focus on its impact on work and vice versa. Our Menopause in the workplace study finds that while some male colleagues are aware of this issue, much more information and education is needed to support menopausal women in work.”

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