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Researchers set out recommendations for public sector organisations to help inform men on menopause at work New research has revealed that male colleagues and managers know little about menopause in the workplace. The study – Menopause in the workplace – was carried out by academics in University of Galway and University College Cork and included surveys of more than 1,600 workers across seven public sector organisations in Ireland. The findings have been released to mark World Menopause Day on Saturday, 18 October 2025. The research was carried out to explore men’s attitudes to and knowledge of menopause at work; the attitudes of other workers who are not experiencing menopause; and the impact of menopause on work outcomes for women – while also identifying interventions to support women. A series of recommendations have been set out alongside the survey findings: Given that almost 80% of CEOs and 70% of C-suite executives in Ireland are male, bespoke menopause training and information should be provided to male board members, senior executives, managers and colleagues. To encourage male colleagues to be menopause allies, organisations should offer information sessions and anonymous Q&A formats, so that men are equipped to support women in their menopause journey. Nearly 1 in 10 women leave their jobs due to menopause symptom severity, therefore menopause at work represents a whole of organisation issue and should be discussed as part of a broader conversation about employee wellbeing, productivity and retention. Dr Maeve O’Sullivan, College of Business Public Policy and Law, University of Galway, said: "The survey findings offer a snapshot of experiences, which in turn is drving these recommendations. One of the key findings is the low level of input from men. So, not only can we see a low level of men who are informed, there is also a low level of engagement with this issue. Workplace leadership has a responsibility to address this, for the benefit of both women and men.” The research team analysed responses to an online survey from 1,600 people, including 1403 women and 240 men. Some of the key findings were: One-third of men (37%) feel they are not well informed about menopause, while 3% felt very informed. Almost half of women (43%) feel a little informed. Four out of five men (80%) don't know if their company has a menopause policy, compared with three in four women (75%). No men, who are line managers and whose direct reports have spoken to them about menopause, feel very equipped to discuss the subject and offer support. One in eight men (13%) believe that menopause is only spoken about between female colleagues, compared with almost one-third of females (32%). 7% of men believe that menopause is a 'taboo' subject, compared with 9% of females. Almost two-thirds of men (61%) felt that organisations should adjust the physical work environment for those going through menopause. This compares with more than three in four women (76%). Approximately one in six men (16%) believe that organisations should not adjust the physical work environment for those going through menopause. This compares with one in 10 women (10%). 87% of women and 78% of men felt that organisations should provide training for line managers and supervisors on how to support women going through menopause. Some 75% of men who responded said that organisations should offer support to women going through menopause, compared with 84% of women. While 62% of women have discussed their menopause with their co-workers, only 1 in 8 (12%) have spoken to their manager about it, underlining a lack of trust or fear among these women.   Dr O’Sullivan added: “Many organisational decision-makers are male, despite this, little is known about menopause in the workplace. It’s not simply a gender or age issue but can impact the entire organisation. “Our study's findings show that more than three-quarters of line managers surveyed do not feel at all equipped to support their female direct reports. This highlights the urgent need to inform and equip men at all levels in the organisation to support women in their menopause journey. Menopause is not simply a female issue. “This is an organisational issue in the context of senior leadership tending to be more male than female. What sort of message are we sending out and how are we equipping our organisation leaders to support employees going through menopause?” Dr Elaine O'Brien, University College Cork said: "Despite menopause being widely discussed in society, there is very little focus on its impact on work and vice versa. Our Menopause in the workplace study finds that while some male colleagues are aware of this issue, much more information and education is needed to support menopausal women in work.” Ends  

University of Galway has appointed Professor Karena Yan as Dean of the J.E. Cairnes School of Business and Economics.    Professor Yan joins the University from Durham University Business School, where she served as Professor and Associate Dean, leading the Doctor of Business Administration programmes.    Commenting on her appointment, Professor Yan said: “I am honoured to be joining the University of Galway and to steward the J.E. Cairnes School of Business and Economics in service of our students, industry and communities in Ireland and beyond. Galway’s spirit is extraordinary – creative, welcoming, and outward-looking. Together we will grow our research power and visibility, deliver transformative education, and enrich the student experience in a thriving, globally connected community.”   Professor Yan succeeds Professor Jonathan Levie, who has served as an Interim Dean since January 2025.   Executive Dean of the College of Business, Public Policy and Law, Professor Alma McCarthy, said: “We are delighted that Professor Yan is joining University of Galway to lead J.E. Cairnes School of Business and Economics. Professor Yan brings extensive experience to the role having led significant international developments and partnerships in previous business school leadership roles. We are also grateful to Professor Jonathan Levie for his remarkable leadership and the depth of insight he brought to his role as Interim Dean throughout this transition.”   Professor Yan has extensive experience in research and academic leadership. Her research has been published in leading journals including Research Policy and Organization Studies and has been supported by major funding bodies such as the UK’s Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and the Charles Wilson fund. At Durham University, she also served as Co-director of the Centre for Innovation and Technology Management and Chair of the Board of Examiners for the MSc Marketing programme.   She has advised the UK All Party Parliament Group’s report on the Metaverse and Web 3.0, and has been featured in The Economist, The Sunday Times and the BBC.  In addition to her role as School Dean, Professor Yan will serve as Established Professor of Innovation and Strategic Management, contributing to the School’s teaching and research initiatives.  Ends

A new international study led by University of Galway has found that entering menopause at an earlier age is associated with an increased risk of dementia. The research also showed that hormone replacement therapy (HRT) after menopause appears to be associated with a reduced risk of dementia. The findings have been published today in the Journal for Alzheimer’s Disease. The research team from University of Galway and Boston University carried out the study with 1,329 cognitively healthy women from The Framingham Heart Study - the world’s longest running longitudinal cohort study - to analyse the association between reproductive factors and markers of brain aging. It found: Entering menopause at an earlier age is associated with an increased risk of dementia. HRT after menopause appears to be associated with a reduced risk of dementia. Greater exposure to estrogen over the reproductive lifespan was associated with enhanced cognitive performance and larger brain volumes. Having more children, higher blood oestrogen levels and being older at the time of menopause were also associated with better cognitive test performance, specifically better visuospatial skills - the ability to perceive, analyse and mentally manipulate visual and spatial information. Professor Emer McGrath, lead author and Associate Professor in Medicine, College of Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences, University of Galway, and Consultant Neurologist, Galway University Hospital, said: “Our study explored the association between reproductive and hormonal factors across a woman’s lifespan and risk of brain aging. We looked at neurocognitive and neuroimaging markers from MRI brain scans, as well as cognitive test performance, including tests of memory, reasoning skills and visuospatial skills. We also looked at the future risk of dementia in relation to these reproductive factors. “We found that entering menopause at an earlier age appears to be associated with an increased risk of dementia, while post-menopause hormone replacement therapy appears to be associated with a lower risk of dementia. Although our results suggest positive cognitive benefits of greater lifetime estrogen exposure, they do require further validation.” Women have a higher risk of dementia compared to men, with women accounting for almost two thirds of those living with Alzheimer’s disease. The research involved women from the Framingham Heart Study and investigated the age at the time of a woman’s first period; the age at onset of menopause; the duration of a woman’s reproductive lifespan; levels of oestrogen in the blood; and whether a woman used post-menopausal hormone replacement therapy or not. These factors were then related to performance on neurocognitive testing, signs of brain shrinkage on MRI scans and a woman’s future risk of developing dementia. Professor Emer McGrath said: “When we explored signs of brain ageing on MRI brain scans, we also found that having more children was associated with larger brain volumes, including in the areas we tend to see shrinkage in Alzheimer’s disease.” Despite its public health importance, our understanding of an association with sex related differences in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias significantly lags behind that in the cardiovascular field. While longer life expectancy in women may explain some of the higher risk in women, factors including reproductive health and hormonal levels in women may play an important role. The Framingham Heart Study is the longest running longitudinal cohort study worldwide. It started in 1948 with the recruitment of 5,200 adults from the town of Framingham in Massachusetts, Boston with approximately 15% of the participants of Irish ancestry. In 1971, the study recruited the children of the original Framingham cohort, along with their spouses, to form the Framingham Offspring cohort. This group was included in this study. Read the full study in the journal here: https://dx.doi.org/10.1177/13872877251372430 Ends