Governments are passing laws, holding hearings, and mandating action. Here is what is happening around the world and what it means for Canadian employers right now regarding menopause in the workplace.
Something has shifted. After decades of silence, governments around the world are beginning to treat menopause as a workplace rights issue, not a personal inconvenience. Laws are being written, Senate inquiries are being tabled, and parliamentary committees are calling in witnesses to testify. Canada is now part of that conversation in a meaningful way, and the timing could not be more important.
This post is a summary of where the world stands: the most significant legislative and policy developments across seven countries and regions, all pointing in the same direction. Each country will get its own deeper post in this series. But before we look outward, we start at home.
Canada: Parliament Has Finally Started the Conversation
In June 2026, the House of Commons Standing Committee on the Status of Women announced a formal study on the labour force impacts of menopause and perimenopause, with a specific focus on awareness, education, workplace policies, and access to treatments that support women’s long-term participation in the workforce. The committee called witnesses, including experts, physicians, labour leaders, employers, and advocates, to inform what may become the foundation for Canada’s first federal policy recommendations on menopause at work.
On June 11, 2026, I had the honour of testifying before that committee as a menopause expert, sharing both my lived experience and the work we are doing at Menovate. I was one of those witnesses called specifically for that expertise. Sitting in that committee room, I could feel the weight of the moment. For years, menopause was invisible in our workplaces. On that Thursday, it was being debated in Parliament as a workforce issue, an economic issue, and a public health issue.
In my opening statement to the committee, I said this: In more than 26 years in the corporate world, I never once heard the word menopause spoken at work. Not once. Then I experienced perimenopause. Hot flashes, heart palpitations, frozen shoulders, sleep disruption, and brain fog, all while trying to perform at my best. I watched other women silently step back from leadership opportunities. Others left the workforce entirely. Not because they lacked talent or ambition. Because the workplace was not designed to support them. That realization changed the course of my career. That is why I founded Menovate.
The four recommendations I put before the committee were straightforward.
First, establish minimum workplace standards for menopause awareness and education, the same way organizations are expected to provide mental health and harassment training.
Second, require every organization to have a formal menopause policy so that support is consistent rather than dependent on which manager a woman happens to have.
Third, make menopause care a routine component of primary care, because most working women cannot afford to spend years navigating multiple providers before receiving an accurate diagnosis.
Fourth, fund dedicated Canadian research, national data collection, and a public awareness campaign comparable to what Australia and the UK have already launched.
The most important point I wanted the committee to hear is this: employers are not failing menopausal employees because they are indifferent. They are failing them because they do not know what menopause looks like at work. They do not have the language, the training, or the framework. Legislation can set the floor. Education is what builds the house.
The numbers behind that argument are not abstract. According to the Menopause Foundation of Canada, unmanaged menopause symptoms cost the Canadian economy an estimated 3.5 billion dollars every year in lost productivity, missed work, and reduced income. Ten percent of women leave their jobs because of symptoms that, with proper support, are entirely manageable. Thirty-three percent report that menopause hurts their performance at work. And yet the vast majority of Canadian employers have no policy, no training, and no shared language for this conversation.
Some progress has been made. In February 2025, the federal Minister of Health allocated 1.2 million dollars to the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada to develop updated clinical practice guidelines for menopause care.
- British Columbia introduced full provincial coverage of select menopausal hormone therapy under its pharmacare plan in March 2026.
- Manitoba has been rebuilding specialized menopause care through a new community-based clinic.
- Health Quality Ontario announced the development of quality standards for menopause care in 2024.
The building blocks are forming. What the FEWO study could provide, for the first time, is a coherent national framework that connects health care access to workplace support. Canada has an opportunity to lead.
United Kingdom: The First Country to Write Menopause into Employment Law
The United Kingdom has moved further than any other country on menopause in the workplace. In December 2025, the Employment Rights Act 2025 became law, described by legal commentators as the biggest change in employment rights in a generation. For the first time in UK employment legislation, menopause is explicitly named.
Under the Act, employers with 250 or more employees are required to produce Menopause Action Plans as part of their broader Equality Action Plans. Voluntary publication opened in April 2026, with mandatory compliance for large employers expected in 2027. These plans must outline concrete, evidence-based steps the organization is taking to support employees experiencing menopause. Not a general statement of intent, but a documented, publicly visible commitment.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission issued formal guidance in February 2024 clarifying that where menopause symptoms have a long-term and substantial impact on a woman’s ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities, those symptoms may qualify as a disability under the Equality Act 2010, meaning employers are legally obliged to make reasonable adjustments.
The UK government has also appointed a Menopause Employment Ambassador and established Women’s Health Hubs across the country, with menopause care named as a core service.
“This is the biggest change in employment rights we have seen in a generation. The focus has very clearly shifted from simply encouraging good practice to requiring proactive action.” Joanna Sutton, Principal Associate Solicitor, Nockolds Solicitors
The business case behind the legislation is compelling. According to UK government figures cited alongside the bill, one in ten women left their jobs because of unmanaged menopause symptoms, and eight in ten menopausal women say their workplace offers no basic support. The government has estimated that a five percent increase in female employment could boost GDP by up to 125 billion pounds per year.
Sources: Employment Rights Act 2025 (UK Gov / Acas); Equality and Human Rights Commission guidance, February 2024; Menopause Friendly UK, August 2025; Carrot, March 2026.
Australia: A Senate Inquiry with 25 Recommendations
Australia took a major step in September 2024 when the Senate Community Affairs References Committee published a comprehensive report on issues related to menopause and perimenopause, containing 25 recommendations covering workplace policy, treatment access, flexible working arrangements, and the economic cost of inadequate support.
The Australian Government responded in February 2025, supporting or supporting in principle 16 of the 25 recommendations. The Australian Public Service Commission then issued formal guidance in March 2025 requiring all federal government agencies, as model employers, to provide appropriate support to employees experiencing perimenopause and menopause. The government has also committed funding for a national network of menopause services, including dedicated menopause hubs and referral sites.
Among the key unresolved recommendations is an amendment to the Fair Work Act that would give employees an explicit right to request flexible working arrangements during menopause. That change has not yet passed, but it remains on the legislative agenda. One year on from the inquiry, some Australian government departments have begun integrating menopause support into gender equity and workplace health strategies, with early programs reporting that double the proportion of menopausal women now feel they can remain successful in their roles.
Sources: Australian Senate Community Affairs References Committee report, September 2024; Australian Public Service Commission Circular 2025/02, March 2025; The Mandarin, October 2025.
United States: State-by-State Momentum as Federal Policy Lags
The United States has no federal menopause workplace legislation.
Federal anti-discrimination laws, including Title VII and the Americans with Disabilities Act, do not recognize menopause as a distinct protected category, leaving employees to rely on overlapping protections through sex, age, or disability claims. But at the state level, momentum is building rapidly.
Rhode Island became the first US state to act when Governor Daniel McKee signed House Bill 6161 into law on June 24, 2025. The law amends the Rhode Island Fair Employment Practices Act to require employers with four or more employees to provide reasonable workplace accommodations for menopause and related conditions, including management of vasomotor symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats. Employers must also post written notice of employee rights and provide written notification to new hires.
Virginia’s General Assembly passed legislation in early 2026 to add menopause and perimenopause as protected characteristics under the Virginia Human Rights Act, which would prohibit discrimination and require reasonable accommodations. As of the date of this post, the bill’s final form remains subject to the governor’s proposed amendments and legislative reconvening. Virginia’s outcome will be closely watched as a signal of how far US states are willing to go.
Beyond workplace protection, at least 19 states have introduced menopause-related legislation, with eight bills now enacted across areas including insurance coverage mandates (Illinois, Louisiana, Oregon, New Jersey), provider education requirements (California, Maine), and awareness campaigns. A Bloomberg Government analysis from early 2026 found at least 16 new menopause-related bills introduced in that year’s legislative sessions alone, sparked in part by Rhode Island’s 2025 lead. New York has bills pending that would ban menopause-related job discrimination and mandate five days of paid leave annually for menopause symptoms.
Sources: Littler, July 2025; Polsinelli, April 2026; Bloomberg Law, March 2026; Ms. Magazine, January 2026; Reed Smith, April 2026; Jackson Lewis, April 2026; CNN, July 2025.
Other Countries Worth Watching
The countries covered above represent the most advanced legislative action, but they are not alone. The European Menopause and Andropause Society is actively developing health and wellbeing frameworks for member countries across Europe. Portugal explicitly recognized endometriosis as grounds for workplace absence in 2025. The conversation is spreading across EU member states, with several tracking the UK and Australian models closely as they consider their own approaches.
The global figure that gives all of this urgency is straightforward. More than one billion women are in menopause worldwide today, a number projected to reach 1.2 billion by 2030, with 25 million new women entering menopause every year. The economic productivity loss associated with unmanaged symptoms has been estimated at 100 billion dollars globally per year. The workforce impact is not a niche issue. It is one of the largest untapped opportunities in workplace health.
Sources: Menopause Foundation of Canada; Session Summary research compiled for Menovate; EMAS, 2025.
What This Means for Canadian Employers Right Now
The direction of travel is unmistakable. The UK has made the Menopause Action Plan law. Australia has directed its federal agencies to act. The United States has seen a surge of state-level legislation sparked by Rhode Island’s landmark 2025 law. Canada’s parliament is now formally studying the issue.
Employers who wait for legislation to force their hand will find themselves behind, scrambling to comply rather than leading. The employers who act now, who start the education, who build the language, who create the culture, will have a genuine head start. Not just on compliance but on retention, on engagement, and on being the kind of organization that talented, experienced women choose to stay with.
That is what the data has always shown. Governments are now writing it into law.
Aimee Debow is the Founder of Menovate and appeared as a witness before the House of Commons Standing Committee on the Status of Women in June 2026.
Menovate helps Canadian organizations build menopause-supportive workplaces through corporate talks, e-learning, and HR advisory services. Learn more at menovate.ca.