Midlife women are the missing link in solving Britain’s productivity challenge
Organisations that support women through midlife will gain a competitive edge, writes Nicole Goodwin
As the UK Government sharpens its focus on getting young people back into work amid warnings that unemployment could reach an 11-year high, one vital group continues to be overlooked - midlife women.
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At AllBright everywoman, which is focused on supporting professional women in their careers, we see daily how this experienced and highly productive cohort is being lost from the workforce. Addressing this loss is one of the fastest and most cost-effective ways to tackle the UK’s productivity challenge.
Midlife women are often at the height of their professional expertise and they bring decades of experience and strong leadership capability. Retaining them is far cheaper than recruiting and training new hires, yet too many quietly exit the workforce altogether. In a labour market facing skills shortages and leadership gaps, this is talent the UK cannot afford to waste.
Off the back of our recent Power Years campaign, reframing midlife as a time of strength and unapologetic self-investment, we saw a clear picture of what is really pushing midlife women out of work. It is not a lack of ambition or performance. It is the intersection of unmanaged menopause symptoms with workplace cultures that have failed to evolve.
Women tell us about struggling with brain fog, fatigue, anxiety and sleep deprivation while operating in environments that still reward presenteeism, long hours and stoicism. Flexible working policies may exist on paper, but in practice, many women feel penalised for using them. Line managers are often untrained, and silence remains the norm. Faced with this, many women choose to step back or step away entirely.
The economic consequences are significant. An estimated one in ten women has left the UK workforce due to menopausal symptoms. Menopause-related unemployment alone is thought to cost the UK economy around £1.5 billion a year, with an additional £191 million lost to absenteeism and £22.4 million to presenteeism. This is not a marginal issue and it is a structural problem.
This is why menopause must now be treated as a boardroom issue, not just an individual wellbeing concern. As public policy begins to recognise the impact of midlife women’s health on employment, employers who fail to act risk serious consequences, including reduced retention and reputational damage in an increasingly values-led market.
On the other hand, organisations that support women through midlife will gain a competitive edge, retaining experienced leaders and stabilising their workforce at a critical time.
We created the Power Years campaign to challenge outdated narratives around ageing, work and women’s health and to ensure midlife women are recognised as a powerful solution to the UK’s productivity problem.
Supporting women to stay in the workplace and thrive through midlife is not about special treatment, but about smart economics and leadership that unlock the full potential of the workforce we already have.
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Nicole Goodwin is the joint Managing Director of AllBright Everywoman, the world’s largest collective of women in business.
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