Overcoming Ageism (HBR Women at Work Series)

17

The Stigma Around Menopause Is Real

by Alicia A. Grandey

In the United States, the average CEO is hired at the age of 54.¹ For many of us, middle age (40s–50s) promises to be the peak of our careers, in which decades of hard work finally pay off and we are seen as having the expertise, self-confidence, and stability necessary to move into high-level management and leadership roles. But for half the population, middle age also means another major shift: menopause.

The menopausal transition—that is, the period in which reproductive hormone levels become highly variable and menstruation cycles eventually cease—typically starts between the ages of 45 and 55 and lasts around seven years. During this time, women (or anyone with female anatomy) ...