New Report Reveals Millennial Workers are More Informed Than Ever About Menopause's Impact on Their Careers -- and They're Ready to Take Action

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Sep 30, 2024, 09:00 ET

Carrot Fertility's 2024 Menopause in the Workplace report finds 70% of millennial women would change their work life to alleviate menopause symptoms; employers can mitigate risk by boosting menopause support benefits

MENLO PARK, Calif., Sept. 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Millennial women in the U.S. workforce are well-informed about menopause, its disruption to careers, and are prepared to take action, according to a new report from Carrot Fertility. For Menopause Awareness Month in October, the leading global fertility, family-building, and lifelong hormonal healthcare platform commissioned a survey of millennial and Gen X women, who comprise the majority of the workforce, to understand menopause's impact on working women of different generations. Carrot's third annual Menopause in the Workplace report aims to raise awareness among employers for the urgent need to support working women who are thinking about and undergoing menopause.

Millenopause is here: Millennials are proactively planning for menopause
The majority of millennial respondents (51%) think about menopause monthly or more often. In fact, 12% said they think about menopause daily or almost daily. While less than a third of Gen X women had a high understanding of their menopause symptoms and treatment options when their symptoms began, 43% of millennial women said they felt already somewhat prepared and 80% have begun the learning process.

The report also reveals that millennials discuss menopause regularly, and nearly as much as Gen X women. The majority (67%) of millennials have discussed the menopause experiences of close friends or relatives. Among them, 66% discussed how their life was impacted, namely their marriage or relationship (40%) or family life (36%).

Over half (51%) of millennial women are also familiar with the transition period into menopause called perimenopause, with 32% reporting they already have symptoms and are preparing to address it. Millennials are aware of hormone replacement therapy (HRT), with 37% reporting familiarity and 32% affirming they would consider it seriously. By contrast, 43% of menopausal-age women are familiar with HRT, yet only 18% have considered it seriously.

"The term 'millenopause' was coined for a reason. Millennial women are starting to enter perimenopause and menopause, and we're seeing a generational shift in how they're thinking about and preparing for it," said Asima Ahmad, MD, MPH, FACOG, Co-founder and Chief Medical Officer, Carrot Fertility. "Our research found that four in five millennial women are already researching and learning about menopause to better understand how it will affect them. They're more likely to consider HRT, a treatment option that has long been stigmatized, to manage their symptoms. We're seeing a shift from women suffering in silence due to a lack of access to care to women now demanding better support."

Millennials are concerned about menopause's impact on their careers
This heightened level of attention among millennials translates to equally high levels of concern — even higher than Gen X women — over its effects on the mind and body. Among those thinking about menopause, millennial women are more likely than Gen X women to express concerns about the mental health and emotional impacts of menopause (66% vs 62%) and the end of their reproductive years (42% vs 30%).

Motivated by career goals, millennial women are bracing for a major disruption to work life. While the majority of millennials (88%) and Gen X women (81%) agree that career growth and advancement are important to them, the report reveals that millennials have a higher concern for the impact menopause will have on their careers. Among respondents, 61% of millennials are concerned about going through menopause while working and an even higher majority are planning for such a challenge, with 75% believing management of menopause symptoms at work will be a moderate or serious challenge.

"Women in the workplace have suffered through menopause in silence for too long, and the next generation is ready to break the cycle of menopause stigma at work," said Tammy Sun, Founder and CEO of Carrot Fertility. "Millennials have high expectations when it comes to workplace benefits and aren't afraid to advocate for themselves, ensuring that their needs during menopause aren't overlooked. If employers start to act upon the report's findings now, we believe they can better retain this millennial workforce and secure their future senior talent."

Millennial women are prepared to confront menopause at work and the ballot box
According to the new report, millennials would actively tackle the challenge of menopause at work, with 70% considering a change to work arrangements in at least one key way to mitigate the impact of menopause. By comparison, 55% of Gen X women would change at least one aspect of the work environment to help manage menopause symptoms. Nearly half of millennial women (47%) would feel comfortable asking their employer to address menopause challenges, more than the 42% of Gen X women who share the sentiment.

Millennials plan to make their opinions heard at the ballot box, as well. The vast majority (83%) say women's health issues like maternal health and menopause are important or their single most important issue in determining how they'll vote, and 80% of Gen Xers agree.

Employers can strengthen menopause support at work — and reap significant benefits
While there is more awareness of menopause, menopause benefits and discussion of the topic are still largely absent in the workforce. Just 23% of Gen X women say their employer offers such benefits, compared with 30% of millennial women. Millennials (59%) and Gen Xers (55%) are in agreement that menopause is not discussed in the workplace as often as it should be.

However, respondents' outlooks improve if this environment changes, spotlighting the role employers can play to not only ease many of the pain points employees experiencing menopause feel from the workplace environment but also position companies to succeed.

A high majority of both millennials (72%) and Gen Xers (71%) believe their workplace's culture would improve if employees had more support during menopause. Without it, 66% of millennials and 64% of Gen X women believe employers would struggle to retain senior female employees.

When offered at work, menopause benefits also lead to overall job satisfaction among both generations, including 68% of millennial women and 54% of Gen X women. For these groups without such benefits, 63% of millennials and 56% of Gen Xers state that it would lead to an increase in job satisfaction.

The vast majority of all 2,000 respondents, regardless of age, believe their employers gain an advantage by offering significant menopause benefits. In contrast, nearly all — 97% of millennials and 95% of Gen Xers women — said that failing to provide menopause support for workers could harm their employer in a major way, including loss of senior management and high-performing talent.

To learn more about menopause in the workplace, download the full report.

Methodology
Carrot commissioned this scientific random sample of 2,000 women in the U.S. workforce. The survey was conducted between August 2 and 8, 2024. The sample is divided equally among millennial women (ages 27-43) who have not yet reached menopause and Gen X women (ages 44-59) who are currently or recently menopausal or perimenopausal. The margin of error for the entire sample is 2.2%, and each cohort has a margin of error of 3.1%.

About Carrot Fertility
Carrot Fertility is the leading global fertility and family-building platform providing care for everyone, everywhere. Trusted by more than a thousand multinational employers, health plans, and health systems, Carrot's comprehensive clinical program delivers industry-leading cost savings for employers and award-winning experiences for millions of people worldwide. From maternity through menopause and pre-pregnancy through parenting, Carrot is dedicated to expanding access and improving outcomes. Carrot empowers members with compassionate, personalized, and inclusive support.

Carrot has received national and international recognition for its pioneering work, including Best Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Product from the Anthem Awards, Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies, CNBC's 100 Barrier Breaking Startups, and more. Carrot is regularly featured in media reporting on issues related to the future of work, women in leadership, healthcare innovation and diversity, equity, and inclusion, including MSNBC, The Economist, Bloomberg, The Wall Street Journal, CNBC, National Public Radio, Harvard Business Review, and more.

Carrot teams span more than 40 states across the United States and dozens of countries around the world. Carrot has received numerous workplace awards, including Fortune's Best Workplaces in Healthcare, Quartz's Best Companies for Remote Workers, and Great Place to Work and Age-Friendly Employer certifications. Learn more at carrotfertility.com.

SOURCE Carrot Fertility