WCC webinar: move from silence to solidarity on menopause

WCC webinar: move from silence to solidarity on menopause

valter

Thu, 10/22/2026 - 09:14

A World Council of Churches (WCC) webinar, held 20 October and entitled “ Life Doesn't Stop at Menopause: Faith, Health, and Flourishing Beyond Midlife” asked how faith communities can become safe spaces for women in this transition.

Image

Photo: Albin Hillert/WCC

More than one billion women in the world are going through menopause right now, and many still face silence, stigma, and shame. Held to mark World Menopause Day with ACT Alliance and The Second Bloom, and convened by Rev. Nicole Ashwood, WCC programme executive for a Just Community of Women and Men, it brought together health, faith, and advocacy voices from Nigeria, India, Switzerland, and the Pacific.

Speakers described menopause as a natural stage of life and a public health priority, and called for better data from low and middle income countries. They reflected on dignity and flourishing in midlife, on practical steps for churches, such as making menopause speakable, connecting faith with health care and building communities of mutual care, and on how Indigenous…