Menopause costs Singapore economy as women exit workforce, experts urge study
Experts call for research into menopause's economic toll on Singapore, where 74% of affected women say symptoms interfere with work. Advocates warn that unsupported health needs may drive experienced women from the workforce as the population ages.
Women's health advocates are urging Singapore to quantify the economic impact of menopause, warning that unsupported symptoms are pushing experienced workers out of jobs and lowering productivity. With women making up 47.7 per cent of the resident labour force, according to the Ministry of Manpower's Labour Force in Singapore Advance Release 2025 report, and the workforce ageing, the issue is becoming harder to ignore.
A 2025 white paper by the Bia-Echo Asia Centre for Reproductive Longevity and Equality (ACRLE) and HeyVenus Integrated Healthscience found that 74 per cent of Singapore-based women aged 45 and above who reported at least two menopause symptoms said these interfered with their ability to do their jobs. In the United Kingdom, one in 10 women aged 40 to 55 had left a job because of menopause symptoms, a 2022 Fawcett Society study showed. In Japan, menstrual and menopause symptoms cost an estimated 2,296.3 billion yen (US$14.4 billion) in 2022, according to the journal Reproductive Health.
Adjunct Assistant Professor Huang Zhongwei from the National University of Singapore's Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, who co-authored the white paper, said quantifying the economic loss would add value to discussions on workplace practices and productivity. “We need to do further research,” he said. The study found that around two-thirds of Singapore women reported two or more menopause symptoms, a higher rate than in Indonesia. “Is it something biological? Is it the environment? Is it work stress?” he asked.
Ms Christina Ang, chief executive officer of HeyVenus, said better evidence should guide access for an ageing population. “When health needs go unsupported, the consequences can reach a woman's earnings, career progression and an organisation's ability to retain experience,” she said. Her company and ACRLE also formed a Cross Sector Menopause Taskforce, which released a Menopause Care Playbook in September with recommendations for workplace support.
Associate Professor Kelvin Seah from NUS's Department of Economics said menopause-related drops in productivity, absenteeism and resignations could lower labour productivity and reduce labour supply. However, he cautioned that researchers would need to isolate menopause as the cause from other factors such as work stress or ageing.
Ms Sangeetha Yogendran, manager of advocacy and research at the Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE), said many employers are still unaware of the issue. Ms Goh Han Yan, MP for Nee Soon GRC and adviser for health and well-being from the PAP Women's Wing, said a joint survey with NTUC Women and Family in August found that only one in five of 2,375 women were confident their symptoms would not affect how others viewed their performance. The PAP Women's Wing plans a listening session on 5 Dec to better understand women's experiences.
Minister of State for Health Madam Rahayu Mahzam recently said menopause is “really put at the back”, contrasting progress in maternity and postnatal care. Dr Clara Ong, an obstetrician and gynaecologist at Parkway MediCentre, noted that while women in the West most commonly experience hot flushes, those in Singapore most commonly report muscle and joint discomfort. Other symptoms include brain fog, fatigue and difficulty concentrating, which can directly affect complex problem-solving and decision-making at work.
