More than half of Canadian women say they feel unprepared for menopause and nearly 60 per cent are unaware that symptoms such as anxiety, depression and memory issues are linked to this stage of life, according to a new report by GreenShield and Mental Health Research Canada.
The report analyzed survey responses from more than 27,000 Canadians between 2022 and 2025, including 15,000 women, and examined mental health through key transitions such as fertility, caregiving and aging.
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The findings show women continue to face barriers in access and affordability. Thirty-six per cent of LGBTQ2S+ women said finding support was difficult, up six per cent since 2023, while nearly half of women overall reported they couldn’t afford care or their insurance didn’t cover it, compared to 25 per cent of men. Despite these challenges, women were still more likely than men to seek help when needed (16 per cent versus 11 per cent).
Family transitions reveal some of the highest levels of strain. Two in three Canadian mothers said they were concerned about their mental health and half said they frequently or always felt burnt out. Racialized mothers reported greater concern than Caucasian mothers (39 per cent compared to 28 per cent). Caregiving pressures also weighed heavily, with 31 per cent of women caregivers reporting frequent burnout and 41 per cent citing financial strain. Among the sandwich generation, 93 per cent said their health had suffered while balancing care for children and aging parents.
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Equity gaps were evident throughout. Eight per cent of racialized women said they needed mental-health support but didn’t access it, double the rate of non-racialized women. Among Black women, 35 per cent reported frequent anxiety and more than a quarter acknowledged thoughts of self-harm.
The report emphasized the need for affordable, culturally safe and accessible mental-health supports. With more than two million Canadian women aged 45 to 55 in the workforce, the Menopause Foundation of Canada estimates a $3.5-billion annual economic impact linked to lost productivity and reduced income due to unmanaged symptoms.