Rewriting the future of women’s health: why the world needs bold partnerships to close the menopause gap

By Jennifer Barsky and James Chapman.

Right now, over 1 billion women are going through menopause or are post-menopausal^[1]. Yet globally, it’s a subject barely spoken of, let alone systematically addressed. Menopause affects, or will affect, every woman, but remains cloaked in silence, stigma, and structural neglect.

“Every woman deserves to thrive, not just survive.”

That belief drives Menoglobal, an emerging international organisation putting menopause firmly on the global health and development agenda. Founded by Jennifer Barsky, who brings both lived experience and deep professional expertise, Menoglobal is supported by a global team spanning clinical medicine, public health, gender policy, and development that’s making a powerful case for urgent, coordinated action.

In our recent conversation with Jennifer, she outlined the scale of the issue, the systemic barriers that have allowed it to persist, and why cross-sector, cross-geography partnerships are essential for meaningful progress.

“You Don’t Know Until It Hits You”

Many women begin perimenopause without warning, often misdiagnosed or dismissed by health systems that lack the training and tools to respond. “Traditionally, menopause is something women were expected to ‘tough out’,” Jennifer says. “It’s as universal as puberty, but unlike it, menopause is almost invisible in medical and social conversations.”

The consequences are serious. Up to 75% of women experience significant symptoms—ranging from insomnia and anxiety to memory issues and cardiovascular risk—yet these are frequently misunderstood or minimised^[2].

Jennifer speaks candidly about her own experience. “When it happened to me at 40, I was completely uninformed. I was afraid to go on hormones because my mother died of breast cancer. No one explained my specific risks due to early menopause or offered any real support. That’s probably jeopardised my health span and maybe even my lifespan.”

Her story is far from unique. Women around the world—whether in boardrooms or rural villages—often have no idea what’s happening to their bodies. They enter this transition unprepared and unsupported.

A black box in global health

Despite its profound impact, menopause remains largely absent from global health and development priorities. “Menopause sits in a blind spot,” Jennifer says. “Health policies and funding focus on the reproductive years. Once a woman’s period ends, so does her visibility.”

She’s not exaggerating. Shockingly, less than 5% of global health research funding addresses women’s health beyond the reproductive years^[3]. Medical professionals receive as little as one hour of menopause-related training, and most national surveys on sexual and reproductive health stop collecting data at age 49. The result? No data. No investment. No solutions.

“If we don’t understand women’s lived experiences, we can’t advocate for better systems,” she says. “And without global guidance and investment from institutions like the World Bank and WHO, countries won’t make it a policy priority.” This “big black box,” as she calls it, is compounded by systemic ageism, inadequate training, and a near-total absence of integration into national and global health strategies.

The cost of silence

“Because menopause doesn’t directly cause mortality, it’s often deprioritised in health systems,” Jennifer says. “But it marks a critical inflection point in women’s long-term health and quality of life.”

The economic impact of this neglect is staggering. In the UK alone, one in ten women have left their jobs due to menopause-related symptoms, and nearly 60% report a negative impact on their work^[4]. Globally, that adds up to an estimated $150 billion in lost productivity and $600 billion in associated healthcare costs each year^[5].

“This isn’t just a women’s health issue—it’s a workforce, economic issue, and development issue,” she emphasises.

Why partnerships are essential

Jennifer is clear: no single actor can solve this. That’s why Menoglobal’s approach centers on catalysing cross-sector action. “The menopause gap exists because no one owns the problem,” she explains.” “Health ministries don’t prioritise it. Development agencies overlook it. And women are left without the tools or support to push for better access to care.”

At The Partnering Initiative, we couldn’t agree more. Systems change demands systems collaboration. Menoglobal is building bridges: between policymakers and practitioners, global institutions and grassroots women’s groups, and healthcare. By connecting silos, Menoglobal helps drive durable, scalable change, especially in low- and middle-income countries, where resources are limited and health priorities often compete.

Menoglobal is already driving change on multiple fronts. They’re working with WHO and the World Bank on a landmark white paper. Convening multistakeholder dialogues to shape policy and develop global benchmarks, mapping critical data gaps, and co-designing community-based awareness interventions with trusted local partners to bring education and support directly to women. Jennifer calls this the “bookends of change.”

“At one end, every woman needs the knowledge to understand what’s happening to her body—so she can speak up, self-advocate, and demand better care. At the other, her experience must inform policies that make menopause visible and supported across systems.”

A call to action: laying the foundations for a menopause-ready world

Jennifer is both pragmatic and hopeful. With experience spanning grassroots communities to the highest levels of global policy, she understands how the puzzle pieces fit—and what it takes to align them for transformative change.

“We’re at least 10–20 years behind where we should be on menopause,” she says. “But I know we can do it because we’ve done it before.”

Two decades ago, when she was director of the Nike Foundation, adolescent girls were largely invisible in global development. Today, they’re at the centre of every serious gender strategy because organisations came together across sectors to address this issue. Now, she sees a similar opportunity. “This is a once-in-a-generation chance to rewrite the future of midlife women’s health,” Jennifer says. “What we need now is the will and the partners to make it happen.”

At The Partnering Initiative, we’re proud to support Menoglobal in forging the partnerships that can catalyse this transformation, from grassroots awareness to global policy change.

Because every woman deserves to thrive, not just survive.

Want to get involved or explore collaboration? Visit Menoglobal’s website or contact us at info@menoglobal.org.