Federal Minister for Research, Dorothee Bär (CSU), announced that the government will be funding research into menopause with 21 million euros. Stating that the topic is far from a niche matter, Bär highlighted the significant impact of this life phase, noting that nine million women go through menopause in Germany, and 80 percent of those women suffer from symptoms. She further explained that one in three women is forced to reorganize their entire lives, sometimes resulting in occupational disability, with many choosing to pull back from public life altogether.
The Federal government is therefore injecting this support into the research community. The funding is slated to begin in 2027 and will support institutions across multiple regions, including Jena, Homburg/Saar, Witten/Herdecke, Leipzig, Freiburg, and Tübingen.
Minister Bär pointed out that menopause has long been shielded by taboo. Drawing on personal experience, she lamented that men often react with shock simply upon hearing the word. She shared an anecdote from a recent official reception where they had to wait outside for a considerable time, and a colleague offered her his jacket. She replied with a laugh that she didn’t need it because of perimenopause, which resulted in uncomfortable silence. Conversely, she said that women often appreciate when sensitive issues like this are discussed openly and plainly.
Addressing the state of gender-inclusive research globally, Bär indicated that no nation currently scores eight, nine, or ten on a scale of zero to ten. While she acknowledged that certain countries-such as the British, particularly regarding menopause research-are highly advanced in specific disciplines, she located Germany squarely in the middle, at a score of five or six. Bär concluded by stating that she has always maintained that Germany remains a developing nation when it comes to gender-inclusive research, often observing that, worldwide, the nation is still comparable to the Neanderthal era.
