The Menopause Taboo in AI: Why Tech Needs to Talk About This

💡 Introduction: The Unspoken Lag in an Industry Built on Innovation

Tech prides itself on moving fast and breaking things.

Except silence.

Especially around women’s health.

Perimenopause and menopause are impacting millions of women in high-pressure tech roles — in AI, Cloud, and Deep Tech. Yet you wouldn’t know it from the policy pages of most tech companies.

This article isn’t just about hormones. It’s about talent, equity, and the urgent need to treat menopause like the workplace revolution it is — with empathy, structure, and, dare we say funding.

🤐 How Tech Is (Not) Dealing with Menopause: A Mixed Reality

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According to research by SRI International and Lisa Health (2024), 74% of working women aged 40–65 experience moderate to severe menopause symptoms that affect their job — including brain fog, sleep disturbance, and low mood.

And yet?

Some startups are waking up. AI-powered tools like Midday (by Lisa Health) and Caria (by Virtue Health) are stepping in with sensor-driven symptom tracking and community support. Telefónica’s Wayra accelerator is backing femtech.

But this is the exception — not the industry standard. Most high-growth AI and Deep Tech firms lack formal policies, training for managers, and open conversations.

🔥 Life in the Hot Seat: Why Women in Deep Tech Are Hit Harder

Only 35% of STEM workers are women (CIO, 2025). And by age 35 — coinciding with perimenopause for many — nearly half have already left the field.

Those who remain face a perfect storm:

• Symptoms like memory lapses, concentration issues, and anxiety

• Stigma around showing “weakness” in male-dominated spaces

• Pressure to perform in fields where burnout is already high

• Fear of being seen as less capable (shared by 51% of women)

It's not just a physical challenge. It’s psychological invisibility in the very spaces they helped build.

📊 Stats That Shout “Enough!”

Here’s what the data says — loudly:

It’s not just uncomfortable. It’s unsustainable.

🛠️ How Companies Can Help (Without Reinventing the Algorithm)

✅ 1. Flexible Work Arrangements

• Remote days, adjusted hours, low-stimulus environments.

• Let women work in a way that supports hormonal fluctuation — because deadlines shouldn’t be the only things that adapt.

✅ 2. Managerial Training

• The CIPD recommends menopause awareness for line managers.

• Tech managers already learn about Agile. Why not hormones?

✅ 3. Digital Health Integration

• Support tools like Midday, Caria, or even wearable tech that monitors and manages symptoms.

• Bonus if they’re as intuitive as Slack or GitHub.

✅ 4. Formal HR Policies

• Menopause leaves, cooling spaces, quiet zones, opt-in disclosure policies.

• Make it real. Make it equitable. Make it last.

✅ 5. Culture of Openness

• Host “Menopause 101” sessions or webinars.

• If you can host an AI ethics panel, you can hold space for hot flashes.

🧰 The Menopause Toolkit for Women in Tech

Feeling alone? You’re not. Try these:

• 💡 Midday by Lisa Health – AI-powered symptom tracking

• 💡 Caria – Community support and resources

• 💡 British Menopause Society – Evidence-based info and guides

• 💡 TechSheThink Linktree – (Coming soon!) Community, articles, support & sass

💬 Call to Action: Build Smarter. Build Kinder.

If you’re in tech leadership, the time to act is now.
If you’re in HR, write the policy.
If you’re a colleague, start the conversation.
If you’re a woman going through it, you are not losing your edge.

You are rewiring it.

Because the future of tech isn’t just intelligent. It’s inclusive.
And it’s finally talking about menopause.

✨ Want to help break the silence?

📌 Follow @TechSheThink
🗣️ Share this article using #MenopauseInTech
🧠 Join our upcoming support network on Linktree linktr.ee/TechSheThink
🎤 Or invite us to speak at your next DEI event

Citations:

• SRI and Lisa Health Study on Menopause in the Workplace

• AARP Report on the Economic Impact of Menopause

• Women’s Health Concerns on Menopause in the Workplace

• CIPD Report on Menopause in the Workplace

• SPR Women in Tech Survey

• TechSheThink Linktree linktr.ee/TechSheThink