Zora Health / Employer guide / China
Support your experienced employees through menopause, and help them stay at their best.
Nearly half of Chinese women aged 40 to 60 have menopause symptoms, and with the retirement age rising, more of them will go through menopause at work. Zora Health helps you build practical menopause support, from workplace policies and manager training to confidential care navigation and access to 128+ partner clinics in 16 countries, around your workforce and budget. Companies including Hilton, LinkedIn, Sanofi, HSBC, Mastercard, Carousell and Singapore Management University work with us.
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Five things China HR leaders should know
- Women in China reach menopause at about 49.5 in cities and 47.5 in rural areas, with the transition starting on average at 46 to 47.
- Nearly half of Chinese women aged 40 to 60 have menopause symptoms.
- From 1 January 2025, the statutory retirement age for women is rising gradually from 50 to 55, and from 55 to 58.
- Several provinces have rules letting employers reduce the workload of women with menopause syndrome, on a medical certificate.
- Aon projects China’s medical trend at 7.8% for 2026.
Why menopause is a business problem for employers
Menopause rarely announces itself at work. It looks like a senior manager who slept four hours, a wave of heat in the middle of a client meeting, a word that will not come in front of the board. Symptoms come and go for years. Many women do not link them to menopause, and fewer tell their manager.
So the cost stays out of your reports. It shows up instead as:
- Widespread symptoms. Nearly half of Chinese women aged 40 to 60 have menopause symptoms, according to a patient guide led by Peking Union Medical College Hospital (Xinhua, August 2025).
- Earlier than many expect. The menopausal transition starts on average at 46 to 47, so symptoms often begin in a woman’s mid forties.
- Longer working lives. With the retirement age rising from 1 January 2025 (State Council), more women will spend their whole menopausal transition in work.
- Little local workplace data. We found no Chinese study on menopause and work. A confidential survey of your own employees is the quickest way to see the picture in your company.
What employers gain
Keep the people who know how your business runs
Replacing an employee costs one-half to two times their annual salary, according to Gallup. As the retirement age rises, the women you employ will work through menopause rather than retire before or during it. A written policy, trained managers and quick access to the right doctor can help address barriers that contribute to employee attrition.
Stand out to experienced women
Few employers in China offer structured menopause support. A clear offer, explained in your benefits pack, stands out to senior women weighing their next move.
Make menopause support financially predictable
Aon projects China’s medical trend at 7.8% for 2026 (Aon, October 2026). Much of what helps menopause costs very little: a flexible start time, a fan, a manager who knows what to say.
Zora helps employers set an annual allowance or top-up around social medical insurance and your commercial plan, so HR can run the programme within an agreed budget. The benefit works alongside your existing insurance.
Want to see what this would look like for your China workforce?
What menopause care costs, and what the state pays
Employees are covered by basic medical insurance for urban employees. Many multinational employers add commercial health insurance for private and international clinics.
| Item | Public support | What the employee still carries |
|---|---|---|
| Public hospital care | Covered by basic medical insurance, under rules set locally | Any cost-sharing and uncovered items |
| Private and international clinics | Usually not covered by basic medical insurance | Fees, unless covered by commercial insurance |
| Workload adjustments | Some provinces allow reduced workload or a suitable role on a medical certificate | Depends on the province and employer |
Provincial rules as reported by Zhejiang Online, 2016. We could not confirm current insurance coverage for gynaecology or hormone therapy, or private consultation fees. These are published examples, not guaranteed current prices: actual costs depend on cover, clinic, doctor and treatment, so confirm fees with the provider before budgeting.
Nearly half of Chinese women aged 40 to 60 have menopause symptoms.
We have found no national menopause workplace guidance in China. For employers, the practical opportunity is to help employees recognise their symptoms, understand their options and reach appropriate clinical advice sooner.
Menopause support that fits your workforce and budget
You do not need to overhaul your existing health insurance to support employees through menopause. Start with awareness and manager education, add confidential one-to-one support, or introduce a fuller programme across your offices. There is no minimum company size.
Where included in the employer programme, eligible employees can use talks and care navigation without paying Zora a separate fee. Care navigation allowances are set in each proposal. Treatment and other third-party costs are paid separately, either by employees or through the allowance their employer provides.
Companies starting the conversation
Essentials
Expert-led talks for employees and managers, menopause policy templates, manager guides and full access to the Zora app. Up to 2 talks a year.
Employees supported one to one
Navigation
Everything in Essentials, plus confidential one-to-one care navigation and access to our partner clinic network.
Large teams across countries
Complete
Everything in Navigation, plus quarterly anonymised reporting, a dedicated account manager and scheduled review meetings with HR.
Optional add-ons can be added to any programme, subject to availability: hormone diagnostics and telehealth with specialists. Pricing is tailored to your headcount, your countries and the services you choose. Most companies start with a single talk.
Request a proposal See how Zora works for employers
Comparing menopause benefit providers? Use our RFP question bank
Our question bank has 40 questions for multi-country benefits teams, with why each one matters, what a good answer looks like and a scoring sheet for three providers. Six of the questions for menopause support in China:
- Is menopause support included as standard, or only fertility?
- What access do employees get to menopause specialists and hormone testing, and how quickly?
- How does the programme handle provincial rules on menopause workload adjustments across our China offices?
- Do you provide fertility and menopause policy templates for our markets?
- How can an employee get help confidentially without telling their manager?
- What individual-level data does HR see?
Your download link appears as soon as you submit. Zora Health may contact you about employee benefits; see our privacy policy.
Plan your menopause benefit budget
Menopause care allowance planner
Model the annual claims budget for a menopause care allowance. Change any number.
This is a claims budget, not a Zora quotation. Zora’s programme fees, implementation and optional services are separate.
It estimates the annual budget for a menopause care allowance from your eligible workforce, expected utilisation and allowance per employee, and assumes each user claims the full allowance. Eligible employees defaults to 15% as a stand-in for women aged 45 and over; use your own headcount data. The default allowance of CNY 3,000 is an illustrative figure for private consultations, tests and treatment. Utilisation is an editable assumption, not observed Zora data. For a proposal covering both programme costs and employee benefits, request an employer proposal.
Estimate the potential workforce impact of menopause symptoms
A rough planning scenario. It applies a published estimate to your headcount, so it is not a prediction for your workforce, a measured loss or a forecast of savings from any programme.
Range: CNY 72,199 to CNY 218,548 a year, depending on replacement cost.
Assumptions: 13.4% of working women aged 45 to 60 reported at least one adverse work outcome due to menopause symptoms, and those who missed work lost a median of 3 days a year (Faubion et al., Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 2023). This was a US clinic sample, so treat it as a rough benchmark for China. The default salary is the 2025 average annual wage in urban non-private units, CNY 129,441. Use your own. Replacing an employee costs one-half to two times their annual salary (Gallup, 2019); the headline uses the low end. Absence is valued at salary divided by 250 working days. Exit rate is your own assumption.
Already have corporate health insurance? Here is where Zora fits
Your medical plan may cover some consultations and treatment. Employees still need to recognise their symptoms, understand their options and find a doctor who knows menopause care, and many never get that far.
Zora works alongside your existing insurance and benefits. We help employees get reliable information, navigate their care options and reach suitable specialists, and we give HR manager training, policy templates and, on the Complete programme, anonymised reporting. You strengthen menopause support without replacing your medical plan.
How Zora works
For your employees
Employees join the Zora app with a company code, or single sign-on for larger teams. They can learn about perimenopause and menopause, understand what your benefit covers, book a confidential care navigation call and find partner doctors and specialists.
For HR
- Kick-off, week 1. Agree goals, countries and which employees are eligible.
- Policy and benefit design, weeks 2 to 4. Draft or update your menopause policy and flexible work guidance using our templates.
- Launch, typically weeks 4 to 6. A launch talk for employees and managers, plus a communications pack for HR to send.
- Live support. Employees book care navigation calls and use the Zora app.
- Reporting, every 3 months, on the Complete programme. Anonymised usage, common themes and our recommendations, reviewed with your account manager.
Privacy
On the Complete programme, HR receives anonymised, aggregated reports only: how many employees used the programme, which services they used and the common themes. On every programme, HR never sees an individual employee’s health information, bookings or test results, and employees can get help without telling their manager. Employee data is stored on Amazon Web Services in Singapore and handled in line with Singapore’s Personal Data Protection Act.
Clinics and doctors in China
Zora’s directory lists 10 clinics and 5 doctors in China. Locations include Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, and 5 of the clinics list menopause care among their services.
Employees can browse clinics in China and find a doctor in China on the Zora app. The directory is for information only and is not an endorsement. See Zora’s employer guides for every country.
Rules and eligibility in China
Rising retirement age
Under the National People’s Congress Standing Committee decision of 13 September 2024, women with a retirement age of 50 move gradually to 55, and women at 55 move to 58. Men move from 60 to 63 over 15 years (State Council).
Menopause workload rules
Reports in 2016 named nine provinces and cities, including Beijing, Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Shandong, with rules that let employers reduce the workload of, or move to a suitable role, a woman who cannot do her usual work because of menopause syndrome, on a medical certificate (Zhejiang Online, 2016). Check the current rules in each province.
No national menopause rules
We have found no national menopause workplace law or guidance. A written company policy is the clearest way to set expectations for managers.
Why employers choose Zora
Companies including Hilton, LinkedIn, Sanofi, HSBC, Mastercard, Carousell and Singapore Management University work with Zora Health. We work alongside your existing insurance, helping employees use the cover they already have and find suitable doctors and specialists based on their needs.
Zora Health helped me to reclaim my confidence to thrive at work!
Questions HR teams ask us
Do employers in China have to give menopause leave?
No. There is no national menopause leave. Some provinces let employers reduce workload or change roles for women with menopause syndrome, on a medical certificate.
How does the rising retirement age affect menopause at work?
From 1 January 2025, women’s retirement ages are rising gradually, so more women will go through menopause while still working.
How common are menopause symptoms in China?
Nearly half of Chinese women aged 40 to 60 have symptoms, according to a Peking Union Medical College Hospital-led guide.
At what age do Chinese women reach menopause?
About 49.5 in cities and 47.5 in rural areas.
Does basic medical insurance cover menopause care?
Public hospital care is covered by basic medical insurance under local rules. Private clinics usually need commercial insurance.
Does Zora replace our health insurance?
No. Zora works alongside your insurance. We help employees understand their options, find suitable specialists and use the cover they already have.
How much does menopause support cost an employer?
It depends on the programme, any allowance and expected uptake. Use the budget planner on this page for a first estimate, then ask us for a tailored proposal based on your headcount and countries.
How quickly can we launch?
Typically 4 to 6 weeks from contract to launch, depending on scope and countries. Most companies start with a single talk.
Related guides for China employers
Build a menopause support programme for your team
Whether you are introducing menopause benefits for the first time or improving an existing programme, tell us your headcount, countries and priorities. We will come back within two working days with suitable services, an indicative budget and a practical rollout plan for your China team. No obligation.
Sources
- The Paper, reporting the Lancet menopause series, March 2024
- Xinhua, Menopause patient guide led by Peking Union Medical College Hospital, August 2025
- State Council, Decision on gradually raising the statutory retirement age, September 2024
- Zhejiang Online, Provincial rules on menopause at work, August 2016
- National Bureau of Statistics, 2025 average wages, May 2026
- Aon, APAC medical cost growth, October 2026
- Gallup, This fixable problem costs US businesses $1 trillion, 2019
- Mayo Clinic News Network, Faubion et al., Impact of menopause symptoms on women in the workplace, Mayo Clinic Proceedings, April 2023