The Menoverse: Navigating the Future for over 1.1 Billion Women

The future is female, and it is post-menopausal.

From 664 million women above 60 year old today to over 1.1 billion by 2050, this is our present and future -- controlling the majority of the world's wealth and living longer than ever before (UN DESA, 2022).  But longevity without quality of life is not a victory. A silent crisis is brewing, where a lack of support for menopause today is creating a tidal wave of chronic disease, economic inactivity, and unmet potential tomorrow.

Global Women's Aging Population 

Source: United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2022). World Population Prospects 2022. [Online Dataset. Retrieved May 2024]. Figures are based on the Medium Variant projection.

Key Drivers:

1. Declining Fertility Rates: The UN estimates the global Total Fertility Rate (TFR) at 2.3 for the 2020-2025 period, down from approximately 5.0 in 1950. This is a primary driver of population aging.
2.  Increased Female Life Expectancy: The UN estimates global female life expectancy at birth for 2023 at 75.9 years. The figure for 1990 is 64.2 years for females.

Source: UN WPP 2022, Life Expectancy at Birth (female) indicator.

Regional Breakdown (Women 65+)  

Note: Percentages are of the region's total population, not the global population.

Source: United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2022). World Population Prospects 2022. [Online Dataset. Retrieved May 2024]. Figures are based on the Medium Variant projection.
Regions are classified as per the UN's geographic grouping.

What This Means for the World, Communities, Workplaces, Families & Women

Global and Economic Impact

The global economic landscape, strained under the weight of this shift. The number of older adults dependent on every 100 workers will skyrocket from 16% to 28%, pushing pension and healthcare systems to the brink of collapse (UN DESA, 2022). To avoid this, our very notions of taxation and retirement must evolve. Labor shortages will become the norm in aging nations, forcing a reckoning—will we turn to automation, or finally craft humane migration policies? Yet within this challenge lies a breathtaking opportunity: the "Silver Economy," a market poised to be worth $15 trillion, waiting to be built on age-friendly innovation and services (World Economic Forum, 2022).

• 
  Community & Social Services
  This wave will reshape our communities from the ground up. Our cities will no longer be designed solely for the young. The demand for walkable neighborhoods, accessible housing, and dedicated elder care will become a deafening chorus. But the gap between need and provision will be a chasm, especially in lower-income countries where a critical shortage of geriatric specialists—fewer than one per million people in Africa—leaves millions vulnerable (World Health Organization, 2021). And in the quiet of those accessible apartments, a silent epidemic of social isolation will linger, with nearly a third of older women living alone, reminding us that building community is just as important as building infrastructure (OECD, 2023).

  
  
  The workplace will be transformed.

• The image of retirement at 65 will fade into history, replaced by a new reality where the majority of women in their late 50s and 60s remain integral parts of the workforce (OECD, 2023). But will they be supported? The data is stark: one in ten women are forced to quit their jobs due to debilitating menopause symptoms (Fenton, 2022). Retaining this invaluable talent pool means finally dismantling the stigma and implementing tangible support. In doing so, we won't just keep employees; we will retain a generation of wisdom, mentors ready to guide the next.

  
  Family Dynamics

• Within the heart of the family, the dynamics are already changing. Women in their prime are becoming the "sandwich generation," caught between raising their own children and caring for aging parents, a burden disproportionately carried on their shoulders, with families providing up to 60% of elder care in parts of Asia (ILO, 2023). As parenthood is delayed, this care may extend even longer. And with longevity comes a quiet transfer of power: by outliving their partners, women will ultimately control the majority of household wealth by age 65, becoming the chief financial decision-makers for their families and communities (Federal Reserve, 2020).

  
  Women's Health and Autonomy 

• These extra decades of life are a gift, but they are not without condition. Women will spend up to a quarter of their lives post-menopause, navigating a heightened risk of chronic disease from osteoporosis to dementia (The Lancet, 2022). The key to unlocking a healthy, vibrant longevity lies in one pivotal window: the menopause transition. Yet, access to care is a postcode lottery, with vast disparities leaving millions without support—for example, an estimated 90% of African women lack access to menopausal care (WHO, 2021). Empowered with knowledge and policy influence—comprising over 30% of the electorate in some regions—this massive demographic is poised to become its own most powerful advocate (European Commission, 2023).

   

• 

• Conclusion

  This is not a distant future. It is a current reality unfolding in the hot flashes of a colleague, the sleepless nights of a mother, and the quiet anxiety of a leader wondering if her body will allow her to keep leading. We have a narrow window to move from reaction to preparation, from stigma to support, and from viewing aging as a burden to recognizing it as our most predictable engine of economic and social change. The quality of life for billions of women, and the stability of our global community, depends on the choices we make today. The data presents us with an undeniable ultimatum: adapt and thrive, or ignore and struggle.

   

  The question is no longer if this change will come but how we will choose to meet it. What does this unprecedented demographic revolution mean for the world we are building, the communities we cherish, the workplaces we depend on, the families we love, and the women who will, quite literally, inherit the earth?

•  

• -----copyright notification------

  © 2025 by Mariza L. Lendez. All rights reserved. www.chikicha.com 

  This article "The Menoverse: Navigating the Future for 1.3 Billion Women" is forms part of my dissertation. All materials herein are protected by copyright and academic intellectual property laws. No part of this work may be reproduced, published, or distributed in whole or in part without express written permission from the author, except for academic citation or fair use with proper attribution. Based on verified data, peer-reviewed literature, and insights from national and global agencies and with the help of AI for deep research. 

  Citation Format 

  Lendez, Mariza (2025). [The Menoverse: Navigating the Future for 1.3 Billion Women]  In "Designing a Purpose-Driven Retirement Model Based on the IKIGAI Philosophy" (unpublished dissertation). Philippine Women's University.

  
  References

  1. European Commission. (2023). Demographic change in Europe. Publications Office of the European Union.

  2. Fenton, A. (2022). The menopause taboo: Time to talk. The Government Office for Science (UK).

  3. International Labour Organization (ILO). (2023). Care at work: Investing in care leave and services for a more gender-equal world of work.

  4. OECD. (2023). OECD employment outlook 2023: Artificial intelligence and the labour market. OECD Publishing.

  5. The Lancet. (2022). Dementia prevention, intervention, and care: 2022 report of the Lancet Commission.

  6. United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. (2022). World Population Prospects 2022: Summary of Results. UN DESA/POP/2022/TR/NO. 3.

  7. World Economic Forum. (2022). The Longevity Economy: Principles and Priorities. WEF.

  8 World Health Organization. (2021). Decade of healthy ageing: Baseline report.WHO