The evidence base behind the Atlas
Peer-reviewed findings, working papers, and data resources that underpin the Lifecycle Penalty Index™ and its seven-phase framework.
From fragmented studies to a unified index
The Atlas stands on decades of peer-reviewed research across reproductive endocrinology, neuroendocrinology, epidemiology, occupational health, labor and health economics, gerontology, and psychoneuroimmunology. Each of the seven penalties is grounded in its own established body of evidence — but those literatures have never been connected. The Atlas is designed to unify them into a single measurement framework and, through the Compounding Multiplier™, to quantify for the first time how the penalties interact and compound across the lifespan. It produces seven sub-indices whose scores enable provincial, demographic, and population-level targeting built from validated metrics purpose-built for that construct.
What the data shows
of lost productivity per woman per year from menstrual symptoms — driven overwhelmingly by presenteeism (working while unwell), not absence.
Schoep et al., 2019 — BMJ Open (n = 32,748)
women of reproductive age affected by endometriosis — roughly 190 million worldwide — with an average 7-year delay between symptom onset and diagnosis.
Zondervan et al., 2020 — New England Journal of Medicine
wage penalty per child for mothers (about 5% even after accounting for work experience) — while married fathers typically receive a wage premium of roughly 4%.
Budig & England, 2001; Killewald, 2013 — American Sociological Review
of all unpaid care work globally is performed by women — 3.2 times more hours than men.
ILO, 2018 — Care Work and Care Jobs
estimated annual cost of menopause symptoms among working women in the US — $1.8bn in lost work time plus $24.8bn in medical expenses.
Faubion et al., 2023 — Mayo Clinic Proceedings
of working women aged 40–60 with menopause symptoms say the symptoms have a mostly negative impact on them at work.
CIPD, 2023 — Menopause in the Workplace
less pension income received by women 65+ than men, on average across OECD countries — a gap the Atlas frames as the compounded endpoint of lifecycle penalties.
OECD, 2021 — Pensions at a Glance
Framework documentation
The Lifecycle Penalty Index™: Methodology and Validation
Technical documentation of the LPI scoring model, phase weighting methodology, and cross-national validation approach.
Quantifying the Compounding Multiplier™ Across Seven Lifecycle Phases
Empirical analysis of interaction effects between concurrent lifecycle penalties, with modelled projections for cohort-level economic impact.
The Health-Economic Coupling Coefficient™: Bridging Clinical and Labour Market Evidence
Theoretical framework and pilot data linking clinical severity measures to economic outcome variables across the seven phases.
Collaborate on the evidence base
We are actively seeking research partners, data contributors, and institutional collaborators to strengthen and validate the Atlas framework.
Get in touch