There is a good business case to be made for smashing the taboo that surrounds talking about menopause, experts say.
Not only has it been estimated that global productivity losses tied to difficulties coping with menopause symptoms at work could amount to $150 billion US per year, they say, but women 45 to 60 represent a lot of buying power for companies savvy enough to market products and services to them.
In Canada, 45 per cent of the female population is made up of women 45 years and older, according to the latest census data.
Given increased female labour force participation, the women going through menopausal changes now are more likely than generations before to hold senior roles at work, making them difficult to replace, says demographer Jenny Godley.
They’re also more likely to have good salaries and disposable income to spend on things that help them manage through menopause, said Godley, with the University of Calgary’s sociology and community health sciences departments.
LISTEN | Women over 45 in Canada are growing in numbers — and in buying power:
Cost of Living5:01‘Anti-aging’ is out. ‘Menopositivity’ is in.
The marketing opportunity could be substantial, she said, if companies take into consideration both the people who are going through menopausal changes and those in the years to follow.
“That’s potentially a huge or a very large demographic, because we’re living so long,” said Godley.
This cohort is also becoming more open about their health, she said, including mental health.
“I think we’re just much more aware now of a lot of different women’s health issues and there’s less stigma,” said Godley. “And some of what is associated with menopause is quite often mental, in terms of depression or memory loss or mood swings.”
The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada (SOGC) defines menopause as the point in time when a woman has had no menstrual period for 12 consecutive months. Though people commonly refer to the time leading up to this milestone as “going through menopause,” in fact, this phase is actually called perimenopause.
Though everyone’s experience is unique, perimenopause can bring a wide range of physical and emotional changes linked to hormone fluctuations, usually occurring between ages 45 and 55. The SOGC says symptoms last an average of seven years, but some women can experience these into their 60s.
Deborah Garlick, right, is the founder of Henpicked: Menopause in the Workplace. She is seen here on the set of a television production for World Menopause Day on Oct. 18, 2021, speaking to journalist Louise Minchin. (Submitted by Deborah Garlick)
While the best known among them are likely hot flashes, fatigue, anxiety and difficulty concentrating are also among the issues that may impact a woman’s life at home and work, said Deborah Garlick, director of Henpicked: Menopause in the Workplace, a consultancy based in Nottinghamshire, U.K., that helps employers develop menopause policies.
Because it can be difficult to untangle menopausal and perimenopausal symptoms — digestive problems, headaches and others — from any number of other things that could be going on, women often say they’re surprised to discover that these changes are already upon them — even without the more obvious hot flashes and irregular periods, said Garlick.
Menopause policies at work
In the U.K., where lawmakers have convened an all-party parliamentary committee to explore the impact of menopause, conversation about the once-taboo topic is exploding.
Even Andrew Bailey, the governor of the Bank of England, has spoken publicly about how menopause can no longer be kept separate from life in the workplace.
“As soon as senior leaders start talking about it, it gives permission for everybody to be more open about it,” said Garlick.
Simple adjustments in the workplace can help counter productivity loss related to menopause, said Garlick, who consults with companies on creating menopause policies. (Shutterstock/fizkes)
An aging population and tight labour market mean employers can’t afford to lose women during the potentially bumpy years leading to menopause, said Garlick.
“That’s a very costly experience for employers,” she said, noting that replacing a worker can set a company back around $50,000.
What’s more, said Garlick, menopause is covered by the U.K.’s Equality Act, meaning that employees can bring cases of discrimination related to menopause to workplace tribunals.
Her company conducts about 100 training sessions each month to help managers and other employees be informed about how to support staff who may be experiencing symptoms related to menopause.
‘Tiny adjustments’ go a long way
Workplace adjustments can include simple things, like making sure there are desk fans, breathable uniforms and plenty of cold drinking water available to help deal with hot flashes, as well as having more one-on-one sessions between managers and staff about how things are going, said Garlick.
She recalled the case of one women who was struggling with concentration while going through menopausal changes. Her boss would ask her to do things when they bumped into one another in the hallway.
“And she just sat down with him and said, ‘Look, this is what’s going on for me. It would be really helpful if I can be at my desk when you’re giving me actions to do.’ And he was so supportive,” Garlick said.
“Actually, the workplace adjustments are usually tiny.”
Consumer product marketing
Outside of the workplace, products geared to women of menopausal age have been conspicuously absent from store shelves, says Sally Mueller.
That’s what prompted her and a friend to found Womaness, a skincare and wellness product company geared to women who are going through menopausal changes.
“Women over … 45, so my age group, we are the wealthiest, healthiest, most active generation to date,” said Mueller, who has a background developing brands for retailers like Target and fashion company Who What Wear.
Sarah Kaplan, a distinguished professor of gender and the economy at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Business, says there’s a sound business opportunity in marketing products to women going through menopause. But she argues it could also be problematic if the products are too focused on the ‘cosmetic effects of aging,’ instead of addressing the actual symptoms of menopause. (Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto)
There’s a sound business opportunity in marketing products to women going through menopause, especially since this group has been “traditionally ignored,” said Sarah Kaplan, a distinguished professor of gender and the economy at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Business.
However, she cautioned that an increasing number of products “might fall into the kind of Goop-Gwyneth Paltrow-type of category,” in that they are expensive and sound cool, “but maybe don’t actually do anything.”
Given the stigma around menopause and aging in general, she said, some products may take advantage of the fact that people who are quietly suffering may be “looking for some kinds of magical solutions.”
“There’s a big issue in our society of ageism, and especially ageism against women,” said Kaplan, noting that’s borne out by research showing women are devalued — both in the marketplace and the workplace — as they get older.
“And so there is an increased temptation to want to try to use products that will mitigate against some of the cosmetic effects of aging,” she said. “There’s a risk that these products could be taking advantage of insecurities that are created by social norms, as opposed to actually helping people deal with specific medical concerns, like dry skin.”
OTTAWA – Canada’s unemployment rate held steady at 6.5 per cent last month as hiring remained weak across the economy.
Statistics Canada’s labour force survey on Friday said employment rose by a modest 15,000 jobs in October.
Business, building and support services saw the largest gain in employment.
Meanwhile, finance, insurance, real estate, rental and leasing experienced the largest decline.
Many economists see weakness in the job market continuing in the short term, before the Bank of Canada’s interest rate cuts spark a rebound in economic growth next year.
Despite ongoing softness in the labour market, however, strong wage growth has raged on in Canada. Average hourly wages in October grew 4.9 per cent from a year ago, reaching $35.76.
Friday’s report also shed some light on the financial health of households.
According to the agency, 28.8 per cent of Canadians aged 15 or older were living in a household that had difficulty meeting financial needs – like food and housing – in the previous four weeks.
That was down from 33.1 per cent in October 2023 and 35.5 per cent in October 2022, but still above the 20.4 per cent figure recorded in October 2020.
People living in a rented home were more likely to report difficulty meeting financial needs, with nearly four in 10 reporting that was the case.
That compares with just under a quarter of those living in an owned home by a household member.
Immigrants were also more likely to report facing financial strain last month, with about four out of 10 immigrants who landed in the last year doing so.
That compares with about three in 10 more established immigrants and one in four of people born in Canada.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
The Canadian Institute for Health Information says health-care spending in Canada is projected to reach a new high in 2024.
The annual report released Thursday says total health spending is expected to hit $372 billion, or $9,054 per Canadian.
CIHI’s national analysis predicts expenditures will rise by 5.7 per cent in 2024, compared to 4.5 per cent in 2023 and 1.7 per cent in 2022.
This year’s health spending is estimated to represent 12.4 per cent of Canada’s gross domestic product. Excluding two years of the pandemic, it would be the highest ratio in the country’s history.
While it’s not unusual for health expenditures to outpace economic growth, the report says this could be the case for the next several years due to Canada’s growing population and its aging demographic.
Canada’s per capita spending on health care in 2022 was among the highest in the world, but still less than countries such as the United States and Sweden.
The report notes that the Canadian dental and pharmacare plans could push health-care spending even further as more people who previously couldn’t afford these services start using them.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.
Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.
As Canadians wake up to news that Donald Trump will return to the White House, the president-elect’s protectionist stance is casting a spotlight on what effect his second term will have on Canada-U.S. economic ties.
Some Canadian business leaders have expressed worry over Trump’s promise to introduce a universal 10 per cent tariff on all American imports.
A Canadian Chamber of Commerce report released last month suggested those tariffs would shrink the Canadian economy, resulting in around $30 billion per year in economic costs.
More than 77 per cent of Canadian exports go to the U.S.
Canada’s manufacturing sector faces the biggest risk should Trump push forward on imposing broad tariffs, said Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters president and CEO Dennis Darby. He said the sector is the “most trade-exposed” within Canada.
“It’s in the U.S.’s best interest, it’s in our best interest, but most importantly for consumers across North America, that we’re able to trade goods, materials, ingredients, as we have under the trade agreements,” Darby said in an interview.
“It’s a more complex or complicated outcome than it would have been with the Democrats, but we’ve had to deal with this before and we’re going to do our best to deal with it again.”
American economists have also warned Trump’s plan could cause inflation and possibly a recession, which could have ripple effects in Canada.
It’s consumers who will ultimately feel the burden of any inflationary effect caused by broad tariffs, said Darby.
“A tariff tends to raise costs, and it ultimately raises prices, so that’s something that we have to be prepared for,” he said.
“It could tilt production mandates. A tariff makes goods more expensive, but on the same token, it also will make inputs for the U.S. more expensive.”
A report last month by TD economist Marc Ercolao said research shows a full-scale implementation of Trump’s tariff plan could lead to a near-five per cent reduction in Canadian export volumes to the U.S. by early-2027, relative to current baseline forecasts.
Retaliation by Canada would also increase costs for domestic producers, and push import volumes lower in the process.
“Slowing import activity mitigates some of the negative net trade impact on total GDP enough to avoid a technical recession, but still produces a period of extended stagnation through 2025 and 2026,” Ercolao said.
Since the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement came into effect in 2020, trade between Canada and the U.S. has surged by 46 per cent, according to the Toronto Region Board of Trade.
With that deal is up for review in 2026, Canadian Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Candace Laing said the Canadian government “must collaborate effectively with the Trump administration to preserve and strengthen our bilateral economic partnership.”
“With an impressive $3.6 billion in daily trade, Canada and the United States are each other’s closest international partners. The secure and efficient flow of goods and people across our border … remains essential for the economies of both countries,” she said in a statement.
“By resisting tariffs and trade barriers that will only raise prices and hurt consumers in both countries, Canada and the United States can strengthen resilient cross-border supply chains that enhance our shared economic security.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2024.
