For years, really since the beginning of time, the menopause has been a taboo subject in business
Despite half the population being female, in offices, on shop floors, in construction sites and in boardrooms, women have suffered the symptoms of the menopause in silence.
Even with the boom in Femtech, the menopause still hasn’t attracted the sort of attention, spending or innovation that periods and fertility have, with organic tampon deliveries and period trackers being the norm.
But is all that about to change?
The team at Emme Magazine are passionate about breaking the silence on a subject that has been off the menu for too long. Forever pushed under the carpet and seen as “just another woman’s problem”. It’s far too modern a world for it to be ignored in business, when the menopause and the perimenopause is something that all women have to face.
So it’s good to hear the news that business is finally ready to talk about the menopause. But it’s not without its setbacks.
Lily Bird, a subscription start up that sends bladder leakage products through the post to women who suffer this common symptom of the menopause have come up against issues when it comes to their advertising.
One social media account rejected their ads that contained taglines such as “Laugh more, leak less” and “Tell your bladder who’s boss” and even suspended their advertising account completely.
This, Lily Bird co-founder, Sydney Larson, translates as “Being put into the category of adult products, or something that was taboo”. the ‘social media’ in question have refused to comment on the issue.
Femtech is big business, generating almost $500 million in 2019 alone. But of this, menopause start ups have raised just $254 million since 2009. With over a billion women worldwide set to be postmenopausal by 2025, how does this make sense?
Most women experience the menopause between the ages of 40 and 58, meaning that it’s often when their children have flown the nest and they’re at the height of their careers – equating to lots of spending power.
Founders of Emme Magazine, covering women’s wellness including perimenopause and menopause, say it’s time to change the narrative
“There are 100s of millions of women going through the menopause and yet it is a topic that is hardly addressed, It is a scary time and women feel isolated. We are passionate about breaking the silence on something that every woman has to go through.
Founder and CEO of Lisa Health, a symptom tracker and menopause wellness app, Ann Garnier says, “I think women’s health is not always well understood by the predominantly male investor community”.
To date, most investment in Femtech has been in period management, fertility and parenting, due to younger investors who can relate more to these issues than the menopause.
But there is hope on the horizon in the likes of Lily Bird, Elektra Health and Lisa Health. Others include telehealth company Gennev who offer free online menopause health assessments and menopause oestrogen free support company Kindra.
Even Lily Bird, amongst others, are now seeing less pushback on their advertising.
Finally, it seems, speaking out about the menopause, an issue all women will go through, is finally coming into the 21st Century!
Have you experienced issues at work around the menopause? Would you like to share your story? We would love to hear from you at [email protected]
