Raising awareness of the impacts of menopause, including on work and super

Menopause affects millions of Australians, but research suggests there’s a notable lack of understanding about its symptoms, leading to women being underdiagnosed and impacting their ability to work.

We’ve partnered with our Insurer, AIA Australia, in conjunction with the Australasian Menopause Society, to help educate our members – of which approximately 70% are women – about the symptoms and potential impact on their personal and professional lives.

Menopause can affect women in many ways – but it’s often overlooked

According to the Australasian Menopause Society (AMS), there are around 4.7 million postmenopausal Australians and around 165,000 enter the menopausal transition every year¹.

However, evidence suggests menopause is often underdiagnosed as predominately mental health conditions, resulting in inappropriate treatment².

Many women suffer from mental health symptoms in the time leading up to menopause (perimenopause) and post menopause. These include feeling irritated, sad, anxious, hopeless, tired, unmotivated and unable to concentrate. Severity can range from mild to depressed³.

According to claims data from AIA Australia, women between the ages of 45 and 55 are twice as likely as men to have a mental health claim for depression or anxiety due to poor diagnosis and the health impacts of menopause⁴. These statistics are reflected in the claims we receive for the insurance we provide our members.

A 2021 study of 805 women found almost half struggle to manage both their symptoms and their work and consider taking a career break, or they retire early⁵.  More broadly, 26.8% of women in Australia reportedly retire earlier than planned, and before 55 years old⁶.

This may have a corresponding impact on women’s superannuation as a contributing factor to women retiring with around 24% less super than men⁷.

We’ve teamed up with AIA and AMS to help our members understand and get the correct support for perimenopause and menopause by hosting a ‘Menopause awareness’ webinar and providing useful resources.

Menopause resources

We have put together resources to help anyone wanting to educate themselves about the symptoms and impact of menopause, including in the workplace.

You can watch a recording of our menopause awareness webinar, download fact sheets and read some FAQs answered by a GP specialising in menopause.

Go to resources

1 ABS Census Data 2022. Age by Sex (postmenopausal measured as women aged over 50 years, menopausal transition measured as women turning 45-54 years per year).
2 AIA Australia, AIA and the Australasian Menopause Society, 2022.
3 Australasian Menopause Society, Menopause and mental health fact sheet, accessed October 2023.
4 AIA Australia claims statistics, 2022.
5 Circle In and the Victorian Women’s Trust, Driving the change: menopause in the workplace, 2021. 
6 Financial Newswire, AIST: Menopause costs women over $17bn a year, accessed October 2023.
7 Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia, ASFA Pre-Budget Submission for the 2022-23 Budget, accessed October 2023.