Hey, it's TED Talks Daily. I'm Elise Hu.

Healthcare entrepreneur Andrea Berkowitz started out studying female leadership and the obvious gap

between men and women in executive positions around the world.

The gap is often attributed to caregiving, women dropping out to take care of children and elderly

parents. But in today's talk

from TED's 2021 Global Ideas Search, Berkowitz lays out the more surprising but rarely discussed

explanation for the dearth of women at the top. Of America's 500 largest companies, only 41 have female CEOs. And if you look at other countries,

the data is similar and in some cases worse. And of course, there are a number of factors contributing

to global gender inequity in the workplace, but I believe that there is one factor often under-recognized,

and that's menopause. So what do I mean?

Many women will rise into senior positions of leadership in their 40s or their 50s.

The average age of a CEO is mid-50s. Perimenopause, or the transition into menopause,

generally occurs also between 45 and 55. And this is where the symptoms really start,

and it can last up to 10 years. So just as a woman is stepping up, taking the reins, earning at her

highest potential, her body can feel like it's betraying her. Now for anyone who doesn't know, which turns

out to be many of us, for me, I had my first

conversation with my own mother about menopause in the last few years. It's a big deal. And it's not

just a big deal for women over 45, non-binary, transmasculine, and younger women may all cope

with menopausal symptoms. So what are these symptoms? They can be physical,

so that's hot flushes, joint pain, urinary incontinence, heavy periods. They can also be mental,

anxiety, depression, bouts of low confidence, difficulty sleeping. Imagine that, 10 years of difficulty sleeping?

The list is long and symptoms can change, so it means you never really know what to expect.

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