Europe Is Asking Women to Work Longer. It’s Giving Them Nothing in Return.

Across Europe, retirement ages are rising. By 2070, the average statutory retirement age is projected to reach 67. This a shift will require millions of women to remain in the workforce well into their sixties. Labour force participation among women aged 55–64 is already at 59%, and is expected to climb a further ten percentage points in the decades ahead. (European Commission Ageing Report, 2024; Eurostat, 2024)

But here’s what nobody in the policy conversation is saying out loud: perimenopause typically begins in a woman’s forties. Menopause itself arrives, on average, around 50–51. That means many women will spend 20 years or more of their working lives navigating this transition without a single piece of EU law designed to protect them.

Not one EU directive names perimenopause. Not one.

We have European directives covering noise exposure, manual handling, vibration, and carcinogens in the workplace. We have frameworks for psychosocial risk. But a hormonal transition that affects every woman in the workforce, that can last more than 10 years, and that produces symptoms directly interfering with cognitive function, emotional regulation, and physical capacity? Invisible in law.

The Scale of the Problem

The consequences of this silence are not abstract. Around 900,000 women left their jobs in the UK alone in 2023 because menopausal symptoms became unmanageable. (NHS Confederation, 2024) 

Across the EU, the numbers point to a hidden retention crisis that employers and governments are only beginning to acknowledge.

The economic cost is staggering. Germany alone loses an estimated €9.5 billion per year from inadequate treatment and workplace support. (FP Analytics / Bayer, 2023) Globally, productivity losses linked to menopause are estimated at $150 billion, with related healthcare costs exceeding $600 billion. (AARP, 2023)

Women aged 45–59 — the demographic most affected by perimenopause — represent the fastest-growing segment of the European workforce, contributing an estimated €657 billion in economic value. (World Economic Forum, 2024) These are experienced, senior professionals at the height of their careers. And the system is failing them.

What the Law Currently Provides

The Equal Treatment Directive (2006/54/EC) prohibits sex discrimination in employment. The Framework Directive on Health & Safety (89/391/EEC) places risk assessment duties on employers. The Work-Life Balance Directive (2019/1158/EU) offers some flexibility provisions.

None of these require an employer to do anything specific for a woman experiencing perimenopause. And 90% of European workplaces have no formal menopause support in place. (Forthwith Life, 2023)

The EU Gender Equality Strategy 2026–2030 does, for the first time, name menopause and commits to an economic impact study. That is meaningful progress. But naming a problem and legislating for it are two entirely different things.

Women navigating perimenopause in the European workforce deserve more than a footnote in a strategy document. They deserve binding protections and it’s long past time the EU provided them.

Sources

European Commission Ageing Report (2024)

Eurostat (2024)

NHS Confederation (2024)

FP Analytics / Bayer — MenoSupport Report (2023)

AARP (2023)

World Economic Forum (2024)

Forthwith Life (2023)

EIWH Women’s Health Manifesto (2023)