We talk a lot about the education gap around menopause — and rightly so. Too many girls grow up knowing very little about what will happen to their bodies in midlife. Too many women reach perimenopause without understanding the changes they are experiencing. But there is another education gap we don’t talk about enough:
The gap from the male perspective. The men in the room need to understand menopause too. Not because they need to become menopause experts. But because the woman experiencing this transition may be their wife, partner, mum, sister, friend, colleague or someone they lead.
Understanding what menopause can look and feel like can make the difference between:
“What’s wrong with you?”
and
“How can I support you?”
It can mean recognising that a change in mood, sleep, concentration, confidence or energy isn’t necessarily someone “not coping”. It can mean knowing when to listen rather than fix. And sometimes, it simply means having enough knowledge to not make a difficult day harder. Menopause is a natural stage of a woman’s life — but the experience of navigating it is shaped by the people around her.
So yes, let’s educate women. Let’s educate girls before they reach it. But let’s also educate the men sitting beside them. Because menopause may happen to women, but it happens within families, relationships, friendships and workplaces.The more we understand, the better we support. And perhaps the next menopause conversation should have more men in the room.
So here’s my challenge to organisations: don’t make menopause education a conversation for women only.Put it on the agenda for everyone.
Educate your male leaders.
Equip your line managers.
Bring men into the conversation.
Create a workplace where asking for support isn’t awkward — it’s normal.
If you’re a leader, HR professional or business owner, ask yourself today: Do the men in our organisation understand menopause well enough to support the women around them?
If the answer is “not yet”, that’s where the conversation needs to start.
#MenopauseAtWork #MenopauseAwareness #InclusiveWorkplaces #HRLeadership #WomenInTheWorkplace #WorkplaceWellbeing