The "silver economy" of women's health: entrepreneurship and service models in China's menopause health sector

Xin Zhang, Lijun Du, Lijun Du, Ruirong Wang, Han Wang

Abstract

Menopause health services in China lie at the critical juncture of the "silver economy" and women's health. As society ages and health awareness grows, the needs of roughly 160 million middle-aged women are moving to the forefront, creating a vast blue ocean market. This study constructs a "Demand–Supply–Empowerment" Interaction Model, identifying the core market conflict as the clash between widespread "physical/psychological distress" and a "mismatched service system." We explore the authentic experiences, needs, and behaviors of contemporary Chinese women. Using web crawling, we gathered about 3 million Chinese characters of text from platforms like Xiaohongshu and Weibo (2020–2025). Applying Grounded Theory, a three-level coding analysis reveals that women are shifting from passive endurance to active management. Their core demand is for trustworthy, integrated health solutions. Consequently, the study identifies three key entrepreneurial opportunities: integrated health platforms, personalized products/services, and professional content with community operations. This research provides a new theoretical lens for understanding the market and offers practical insights for entrepreneurs, investors, and policymakers in related fields.

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