Mara Barschkett is a postdoctoral researcher at the Institute for Applied Microeconomics at the University of Bonn, an associated member at IZA, and a guest researcher at DIW Berlin. She obtained her PhD from Freie Universität Berlin as part of the DIW Graduate Center and a member of the Berlin School of Economics. Her main research interests are health economics, labour economics, family economics, and education economics.

Abstract:

Menopause marks a crucial juncture in women's lives and careers. We provide novel evidence on the effects of menopause onset on labor and health outcomes. Combining Norwegian register with survey data from the HUNT study on self-reported menopause age, we apply a stacked difference-in-differences design. Our findings show declines in earnings, increased sick leave, and more diagnoses related to menopause. Additionally, women without symptoms, and those with mild symptoms who seek care, do not experience earnings losses. Moreover, timely healthcare-seeking and treatment onset can mitigate earnings losses. This suggests that policies promoting menopause awareness could alleviate individual and societal burdens.