In a recent Women in Print Alliance Quarterly Connect webinar, Adriane Harrison, Women in Print Alliance Professional Advisor and VP of Human Relations Consulting at PRINTING United Alliance, walked members through how women’s needs in the workplace evolve—and why understanding those shifts is critical for both employers and employees.

Rather than treating “women at work” as a single category, Adriane encouraged attendees to think in terms of three broad stages: early career, mid‑career, and later career. Each stage brings different pressures, protections, and possibilities.

Early Career: Foundations, Confidence, and First Protections

For early‑career women, the conversation wasn’t just about pregnancy or parenting. Adriane highlighted that this phase often involves:

• Balancing work and education – Many women are working while in school or returning to school later; the stress of schedules, finances, and identity shifts is real.

• Mental health and isolation – The first years out of school or in a new field can be lonely and overwhelming, even when things look “successful” on paper.

• Understanding basic protections – Laws like Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and other anti‑discrimination measures set a baseline for what women should be able to expect from employers—especially when they’re young and may not yet know their rights.

Adriane underscored the importance of building a network early—not only as a ladder for advancement, but as a mental health safety net. Groups like Women in Print Alliance can give early‑career women peers, mentors, and role models before a crisis hits.

Mid‑Career: The Caregiving Squeeze

The mid‑career phase is where demands inside and outside of work often collide. Women may be:

• Raising children
• Supporting aging parents
• Managing increased responsibility at work
• Engaging more deeply in community or volunteer roles

Adriane called attention to what many attendees recognized as the “caregiving squeeze” or “sandwich generation” experience—caring for both older and younger family members while trying to sustain a career.

Key concepts included:

• Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) – A central protection for workers facing serious health conditions or caregiving responsibilities for close family members, including special provisions for military caregivers.

• Intermittent leave and flexibility – Time away doesn’t always look like a single 12‑week block; it might mean shorter, recurring absences that employers need to track and manage thoughtfully.

• Culture and goodwill – Legal protections are one piece; how employers actually respond—through flexible scheduling, creative solutions, and understanding—often determines whether mid‑career women can remain and grow in their roles.
Without revealing all of Adriane strategies, the core takeaway was clear: supporting mid‑career women is no longer optional if companies want to retain experienced, high‑value talent.

Later Career: Age, Menopause, and Keeping Expertise in the Industry

As women enter the later stages of their careers, a different set of realities comes to the forefront:

• Age discrimination – Laws such as the Age Discrimination in Employment Act protect workers over 40, but many women still feel vulnerable as they navigate promotions, transitions, or re‑entry into the workforce.

• Emerging menopause protections – Adriane shared that this is one of the most rapidly evolving areas. New and proposed laws are beginning to recognize menopause and perimenopause as issues deserving workplace accommodation. States and even some cities are exploring or enacting policies that encourage more supportive responses to menopause‑related symptoms.

Rather than treating later‑career women as “winding down,” Adriane urged employers to see them as critical reservoirs of institutional knowledge—often past the most intense caregiving phase and ready to invest deeply in their organizations, if they’re supported.

Beyond Compliance: Why This Matters for Print Businesses

From early‑career networking and mental health support, to mid‑career caregiving flexibility, to later‑career age and menopause awareness, Adriane’s message to print employers was consistent: the more you understand what women need at each stage of their careers, the stronger, more loyal, and more resilient your workforce will be.

Members who may have missed the webinar can watch the full Quarterly Connect on-demand here.