The cultural shift: bringing menopause out of the shadows

Katja Iversen, Women’s health advocate and CEO of the Museum for the United Nations

Popular culture offers increasingly varied ways of talking about the experience. Fleabag gave menopause a memorable and unexpectedly positive voice; Channel 4’s The Change placed it at the centre of a comedy about midlife and identity; and Miranda July’s bestselling novel All Fours explored perimenopause, desire and reinvention. Broadcaster Davina McCall’s documentaries helped turn menopause into a mainstream British conversation, while celebrities such as Naomi Watts and Halle Berry have spoken publicly about their own experiences. At the same time social media has democratised the conversation. Instagram, TikTok, podcasts and online communities give women – not just celebrities – spaces to share experiences, exchange information and find support. Research suggests social media is an important source of menopause information, while peer communities can help women feel less alone, understand their symptoms, and discover what support and treatment are available.^22,23 But there is a tension here: mainstreaming menopause can also turn a deep structural healthcare challenge into an individual consumer problem, shifting responsibility from the healthcare system onto women to navigate a growing market of wellness apps, supplements and products.

Yet despite these commercial pressures, greater focus and visibility can challenge the idea that menopause marks the end of women’s relevance, ambition or sexuality. For individuals, this visibility can be profoundly validating. Seeing menopause experiences reflected in mainstream culture, and finding others going through similar transitions, can reduce stigma, provide language for symptoms, and make it easier to seek support from doctors, friends, colleagues and employers.

The political consequences can be significant. Once an experience becomes publicly discussable, it becomes easier to organise around, research and demand action. Halle Berry, for example, has moved from speaking publicly about menopause to campaigning in the US for greater investment in menopause research and education. In the UK, years of campaigning and growing media attention have helped move menopause onto the workplace policy agenda. And now we have the Power in Menopause network, which brings the discussions directly into the halls of power at the World Health Assembly and the United Nations General Assembly.

Culture does more than reflect social change: it helps create it. It shapes what we see, what we talk about and what we believe is possible. When women recognise their experiences in stories, share them with others and find the confidence to speak out, an individual experience can become a collective concern – and a demand for change. That is the power of culture: not simply to make menopause visible, but to help turn recognition into connection, agency and action – individually and structurally. The test is whether that momentum translates into better healthcare, supportive workplace policies and meaningful change for women across different backgrounds and circumstances.