Yesterday, I had the pleasure of participating on a panel titled “Menopause to Retirement: Supporting Women’s Later Working Years and Beyond” at the Power+ Summit hosted by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, alongside Kathryn Anne Edwards and Courtney Polenick.
Kathryn set the tone by explaining why Social Security is especially important for women, who 1) earn less than men, 2) are more likely to work part-time because of caregiving, and 3) are more likely to leave the workforce to provide care. I don’t remember her mentioning it at the conference, but during our prep meeting she said that Social Security is tiered, with married women benefiting the most. Kathryn told the audience that the funding shortfall is avoidable by eliminating the cap on taxable income, which would increase the fund and could then be invested as a sovereign wealth fund. She also reminded the audience that revised estimates project Social Security’s insolvency in 2032 and to remember this for the 2028 election cycle, because those legislators will have the power to make changes to “save” Social Security. The audience clearly liked what she had to say. A few members even called out “Edwards for president.”
Courtney’s comments about caregiving and its implications for women’s later years drew fewer questions and less discussion. I am wondering whether that is because caregiving is so familiar to the women in the room. Courtney mentioned caregiving benefits paid by Medicare and the Veterans Administration. Her work on dementia and caregiving helps explain women’s lower earnings and their need for additional care.
During our prep session, I joked about how hard it will be for older women who are “sandwiched” between providing care for child(ren) and loved ones while experiencing (peri)menopause symptoms. If the child is a teenager, no more needs to be said! The audience was lovely, engaged, and clearly familiar with (peri)menopause. One participant shared that her husband was complaining because a worker wanted the temperature a few degrees lower. She asked him how old the woman was, then reminded him of the temperature at their house and that the business ran more efficiently when the woman was at work.
I reminded the audience that the productivity loss from (peri)menopause symptoms is not a one-time loss. It is a loss in perpetuity, because every generation of women will enter menopause, and the loss will grow as women’s human capital and labor force participation grow. The economy, not just women, pays.
So often, I am on panels loaded with data and slides where the engagement with the audience about lived experiences, strategies, and the emotional side of policies gets lost. That was not this panel, and it was just as effective and probably more accessible.
Thank you, Kate Bahn, for the invitation; Ariane Hegewisch for keeping on time, on topic, and the audience engaged; and Leslie Brand for bringing our session together.
Stay sharp and keep it a few degrees cooler.
Rhonda V. Sharpe is the president and founder of the Women’s Institute for Science, Equity and Race. Her research focuses on gender and racial inequality, STEM diversity, and the demographics of higher education.