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Bertola, Lara, Janina Curbach, Esra Paca & Julia Roloff (2026): The structuration of women's menopause transition in the workplace: A cross-national study of France, Germany and Türkiye. In: The sociological review, Jg. 74, H. 4, S. 749-774. DOI:10.1177/00380261261451659

Abstract

"Menopausal transition (MT) is often described in medical terms or treated as a private matter, but it also characterises women’s working lives. Drawing onGiddens’ structuration theory, this cross-cultural study explores howinstitutional and cultural structures influence women’s agency and how women’s everyday practices reproduce and, at times, reshape these structures in the workplace during MT. Based on 51 semi-structured interviews with working women in France, Germany and Türkiye, we explore how women negotiate the experience of menopause in the context of the workplace amidst physical, emotional and cultural challenges. The findings reveal similarities between the contexts: in all three countries, women reported that formal support through workplace policies and healthcare was limited, and even when formal workplace structures were in place, cultural taboos often made it difficult to talk openly about menopause. Women described their MT mostly as positive and described that they sought support through informal networks, e.g. talked to trusted colleagues, adapted their work routines and developed personal coping strategies. Nevertheless, there were nuanced national differences in women’s interpretation of MT: French participants often associated it with loss of femininity, Turkish participants with loss of fertility and German participants with declining productivity, indicating the importance of recognising menopause as both a public and professional issue, as this framing can influence how women experience and shape their working lives." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Bertola, Lara, Belinda Steffan & Akanksha Jalan (2026): Menopause in the French Workplace: Embodiment, Regulation, and Digital Resistance. In: Gender, work & organization, S. 1-11. DOI:10.1111/gwao.70224

Abstract

"Menopause remains largely invisible in workplace discussions, despite its impact on women's wellbeing and careers. Shaped by norms that prioritize youth, bodily control, and constant productivity, menopause is often treated as a personal health issue rather than an organizational concern. This study examines how menopause is experienced, managed, and contested in French workplaces, a setting where reproductive health remains culturally taboo and professionally sensitive. Drawing on Foucault's concept of biopower, we analyze how women monitor and conceal menopause symptoms to maintain credibility in workplaces where professional competence is associated with control and composure. Based on qualitative interviews with 15 French professional women and analysis of 936 French-language YouTube comments, we reveal a paradox in which menopause symptoms are often visible yet actively hidden by women at work. We argue that the medical framing of menopause in French culture reinforces workplace taboo. As responsibility shifts onto women to manage menopause symptoms silently, digital platforms offer alternative spaces to share experiences, challenge stigma, and seek support. This study calls for menopause to be more clearly recognized as a workplace issue in France." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Burkert, Carola, Dana Müller, Hannah Sinja Steinberg & Marieke Volkert (2026): Die Wechseljahre der Frau – ein blinder Fleck in der Arbeitswelt. In: IAB-Forum H. 24.06.2026. DOI:10.48720/IAB.FOO.20260624.01

Abstract

"Das IAB hat neue und umfassende Daten zu den Wechseljahren der Frau erhoben. Demnach leiden fast zwei Drittel der Frauen zwischen 40 und 55 Jahren, die sich nach eigener Auskunft in den Wechseljahren befinden, an sechs oder mehr typischen Beschwerden. Dies trifft aber auch auf fast die Hälfte der Frauen zu, die sich (noch) nicht in den Wechseljahren vermuten. Eine hohe Anzahl an Beschwerden geht zudem mit einer deutlich niedrigeren Arbeitsmarktbeteiligung einher." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Frasele, Lucia Torres (2026): The Impact of Menopause Hormone Therapy on Women's Health and Employment. (MUNI ECON working paper 2026-01-00), 88 S. DOI:10.5817/WP_MUNI_ECON_2026-01

Abstract

"This paper examines the causal effects of Menopause Hormone Therapy (MHT) on health and labor market outcomes among U.S. women aged 40–61. I leverage the MHT treatment arm of the first large-scale randomized evaluation of MHT’s effects on postmenopausal women’s health, which was stopped early due to elevated health risks and publicly announced in July 2002. The announcement led to a rapid global decline in MHT prescriptions, which I use as a quasi-exogenous shock. Using nationally representative U.S. data on prescriptions, health, and labor market outcomes, I apply difference-in-differences, instrumental variables, and fixed-effects approaches. Results show MHT significantly improves physical health, increasing physical functioning scores by up to one standard deviation, but effects on employment and wages are modest and sensitive to specification." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Quental, Camilla, Céline Del Bucchia & Pilar Rojas-Gaviria (2026): Menopause as a Transformation Force Within Organizations. In: Gender, work & organization, Jg. 33, H. 4, S. 1173-1178. DOI:10.1111/gwao.70142

Abstract

"In this commentary piece, we call attention to the need to turn from a view of menopause as an individual woman's medical problem to a wider perspective of bodies within organizations. We dig into how organizations impose silence and shape atmospheres that exclude vulnerable bodies catering for the illusion of invulnerability. We argue that by adopting a wider perspective, menopause bodies can guide and revolutionize how organizations design and manage their environments in ways that include the vulnerabilities anchored within the human corporeal existence. We engage with more established and emerging research that shifts the discourse toward understanding menopause as a broader, collective, and embodied experience. By doing this, we outline three viewpoint shifts impacting menopausal women's work experience: toward organizational cultures that include bodies' needs and vulnerabilities, toward a feminist culture of caring with, toward an organizational culture that enables menopausal women's zest. We then offer a series of urgent research avenues to continue this line of thought, including, for instance, the need for embodied, empathetic leadership and feminist, intersectional approaches that ensure equitable—not elitist—reframing of embodied care within organizations." (Textauszug, IAB-Doku, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons)

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Rottenberg, Catherine & Kate Gilchrist (2026): The menopausal subject at work: gendered embodiment and neoliberal management in the UK. In: Journal of gender studies, Jg. 35, H. 1, S. 92-107. DOI:10.1080/09589236.2025.2451202

Abstract

"In this paper, we examine five key UK policy documents that aim, inter alia, to address the concerns of ageing women in the workplace at a time when an estimated 900,000 women in the UK have left their jobs due to symptoms associated with menopause. Our analysis reveals that menopause has become a key site through which the contemporary struggle over how we (should) perceive gendered embodiment is being played out. This is evident in how these documents expand the menopausal subject: from exclusively cisgendered women to include trans, intersex and genderqueer people. Examining two key tensions that emerge—the invocation of menopause as natural and biological alongside a more inclusive menopausal subject, and the perceived naturalness of menopause alongside the construal of menopausal symptoms as abnormal , we maintain that expanding the menopausal subject is linked to a neoliberal managerial desire to address the challenges of all employees who experience menopause. Our findings thus point to a striking conjuncture between feminist and LGBTQI+ struggles to debunk binary understandings of sex and gender and the neoliberal State's desire to keep all older people experiencing menopause in the workforce, contributing to our understanding of the increase in menopause talk." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Rowson, Tatiana S. & Sahar Omary-Barghouthi (2026): Sense and Action: Career Disruptions During the Menopause Transition. In: Gender, work & organization, S. 1-12. DOI:10.1111/gwao.70197

Abstract

"This narrative study explores how women make sense of career disruptions during the menopause transition. Drawing on biographical narrative interviews with 30 professional and executive women, we examine how biological symptoms, social cues of gendered ageism, and psychological dimensions of midlife shape women's interpretations of career disruption during this life stage. Our analysis identifies four sensemaking trajectories—early awareness,delayed recognition, encountering ageism, and midlife redirection—reflecting the main trigger of career deliberations and the temporal dynamics of noticing, interpreting, and acting. Across these pathways, many women made career changes before fully understanding the source of the disruption, often constructing coherence retrospectively. We argue that ambiguous, fragmented experiences during the menopause transition can operate as a career shock and that the sensemaking process is shaped by the epistemic resources available to women. This study contributes to menopause and work research by showing that career outcomes vary depending on when deliberate sensemaking is triggered and what interpretive frames support it. We extend sensemaking theory by demonstrating that absent or distorted epistemic resources can cause career deliberations to precede understanding. We also position fragmented, ambiguous disruptions as a theoretically distinct category within career shock literature." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Throsby, Karen (2026): Menopause and the paradoxes of self-help. In: The sociological review, Jg. 74, H. 4, S. 707-726. DOI:10.1177/00380261261451656

Abstract

"In the context of the growing visibility of menopause across multiple domains, this article explores the ways in which menopause self-help books are both contributing to, and capitalising on, this visibility. It argues for the importance of ongoing sociological engagement with the menopause self-help genre, despite its limitations, as part of the work of reimagining menopause, because it is impossible to predict in advance where, and for whom, collective action may find a productive foothold amidst the genre’sprecariously constituted neoliberal frame. Drawing on a discourse analysis of 15 popular menopause self-help books written by celebrities, healthcare professionals and healthcare-adjacent practitioners, this article argues that the books are built on a series of paradoxes: (1) silence vs cacophony; (2) exceptional vs generic; (3) decline vs self-transformation; and (4) revolution vs entrenchment. These paradoxes cultivate the imperative to act; create an inclusive space where diverse readerships can coexist; and reflect the paradoxes in the wider social and cultural world around menopause. The books are sincere attempts, animated by feminist sentiment, to reimagine menopause in ways that will be collectively beneficial but they are ultimately constrained, first, by the limited discursive resources through which menopause is made intelligible, and second, by the genre itself and its definitional focus on the self as the primary subject of change. Consequently, in constructing an ideal menopause subject who must enact her own reinvention (and has the resources to do so), they foreclose the possible reimagining of a more socially inclusive menopause for all, even while trying to imagine it differently. However, the extensive discursive work required to contain the menopause within these paradoxes exposes the precarity of this foreclosure." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Abrahamsson, Sara, Mara Barschkett & Martin Flatø (2025): Beyond Hot Flashes: The Career Cost of Menopause. (IZA discussion paper / Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit 17789), Bonn, 45 S.

Abstract

"Menopause marks a crucial juncture in women's lives and careers. We provide novel evidence on the effects of menopause onset on labor and health outcomes. Combining Norwegian register with survey data from the HUNT study on self-reported menopause age, we apply a stacked difference-in-differences design. Our findings show declines in earnings, increased sick leave, and more diagnoses related to menopause. Additionally, women without symptoms, and those with mild symptoms who seek care, do not experience earnings losses. Moreover, timely healthcare-seeking and treatment onset can mitigate earnings losses. This suggests that policies promoting menopause awareness could alleviate individual and societal burdens." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Burkert, Carola & Dana Müller (2025): Auswirkungen der Wechseljahre auf die Arbeitswelt - ein unterschätztes Tabuthema. In: IAB-Forum H. 24.02.2025. DOI:10.48720/IAB.FOO.20250224.01

Abstract

"Die meisten Frauen reden nicht gerne darüber, Männer schon gar nicht. Wechseljahre sind ein Tabuthema in unserer Gesellschaft – insbesondere, was deren Folgen für Arbeitswelt betrifft. Dabei dürften diese erheblich sein. Es mangelt nicht nur an Aufklärung, sondern auch an Daten. Das schadet Betroffenen und Betrieben gleichermaßen. Höchste Zeit also, das Thema offensiv anzugehen." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Chan de Avila, Jennifer & Sabine Nitsche (2025): Wechseljahre am Arbeitsplatz. Handlungskonzept für ein innovatives betriebliches Gesundheitsmanagement. (Arbeit und Organisation), Bielefeld: transcript, 227 S. DOI:10.14361/9783839474501

Abstract

"Das Thema Wechseljahre am Arbeitsplatz wird in Deutschland noch häufig tabuisiert. Jennifer Chan de Avila und Sabine Nitsche schaffen Abhilfe und bieten neben einem theoretischen Denkmodell auch ein konkretes Handlungskonzept für ein innovatives betriebliches Gesundheitsmanagement. Basierend auf umfangreichen Recherchen und Expert*inneninterviews betrachten sie die physische, psychologische und sozio-affektive Ebene der Menopause, ermöglichen eine Überprüfung bzw. Ergänzung bestehender BGM-Maßnahmen am Arbeitsplatz und geben darüber hinaus Tipps zur Gestaltung eines inklusiveren, frauengerechteren und unterstützenden Arbeitsumfeldes." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku, © Transcript)

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Conti, Gabriella, Rita Ginja, Petra Persson & Barton Willage (2025): The Menopause “Penalty”. (IZA discussion paper / Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit 17793), Bonn, 25 S.

Abstract

"The motherhood penalty is well-documented, but what happens at the other end of the reproductive spectrum? Menopause—a transition often marked by debilitating physical and psychological symptoms—also entails substantial costs. Using population-wide Norwegian and Swedish data and quasi-experimental methods, we show that a menopause diagnosis leads to lasting drops in earnings and employment, alongside greater reliance on social transfers. The impact is especially severe for women with lower socioeconomic status. Increasing access to menopause-related health care can help offset these losses. Our findings reveal the hidden economic toll of menopause and the potential gains from better support policies." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Eble, S., L. Mehlig & C. Kurscheid (2025): Women in Change – Wechseljahre am Arbeitsplatz als arbeitsmedizinische Herausforderung mit besonderem Fokus auf Führungskräfte. In: Arbeitsmedizin, Sozialmedizin, Umweltmedizin, Jg. 60, H. 8, S. 478-482. DOI:10.17147/asu-1-464336

Abstract

"Zielstellung: Die Wechseljahre gehen mit vielfältigen somatischen und psychischen Symptomen einher, die die Arbeitsfähigkeit beeinträchtigen können. Frauen in Führungspositionen sind hierbei besonders belastet. Ziel dieser Studie war es, den Einfluss menopausaler Beschwerden auf die berufliche Leistungsfähigkeit von Frauen mit Führungsverantwortung zu erfassen und Unterstützungsbedarfe zu identifizieren. Methode: Die anonym durchgeführte Online-Befragung richtete sich ausschließlich an Personen in Führungspositionen. Die Studie war explorativ angelegt und nicht repräsentativ. Insgesamt wurden 821 vollständig ausgefüllte Datensätze ausgewertet. Der Fragebogen basierte auf der MenoSupport-Studie und wurde um führungsspezifische Aspekte erweitert. Ergebnisse: Von den insgesamt 821 befragten Führungskräften berichteten 567 Frauen (69,1 %) über menopausale Beschwerden. Davon gaben 51,9 % (n = 294) an, dass diese Symptome ihre berufliche Leistungsfähigkeit beeinträchtigen. Besonders häufig genannt wurden kognitive Einschränkungen, emotionale Labilität und Fatigue. Zudem zeigte sich ein hoher Anteil an Präsentismus trotz Symptombelastung. Schlussfolgerung: Die Ergebnisse unterstreichen die arbeitsmedizinische Relevanz der Menopause, insbesondere bei weiblichen Führungskräften. Es besteht ein Bedarf an betrieblicher Aufklärung, Enttabuisierung sowie struktureller Unterstützung im Rahmen der betrieblichen Gesundheitsförderung." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Gabert, Johanna (2025): Frauen in der Menopause im Arbeitsleben: eine intersektionale Analyse von Ableismen in Verschränkung mit Geschlecht, Alter und Gesundheit. In: Femina Politica, Jg. 34, H. 2, S. 114. DOI:10.3224/feminapolitica.v34i2.10

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Steffan, Belinda & Kristina Potočnik (2025): Responding to Menopause at Work as an Identity Threat: Resilience as Resource for Cognitive and Emotional Identity Work. In: British journal of management, Jg. 36, H. 3, S. 1290-1302. DOI:10.1111/1467-8551.12895

Abstract

"Menopause can be an emotional transition and can affect resilience, confidence, quality of life and work identity. This transition is a catalyst for emotional identity work, which is done to achieve a plausible, coherent sense of self. Menopause symptoms can disrupt a sense of self with new-felt feelings of fear, shame and vulnerability. Fear can hinder cognitive flexibility, or being open to introspection, which impacts on how identity work is resourced. We contribute to menopause at work and identity work literatures by highlighting how life transitions without viable alternatives are experienced and responded to as hitherto unexplored internally driven identity threats. Drawing on a mixed-method study, we show how compromised resilience, due to menopause, disrupts identity work. We also show how restored and realistic resilience, developed through better awareness of menopause and a post-menopause reflection, enables both effective cognitive identity work and consequently enhanced engagement with emotional identity work." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Steffan, Belinda & Wendy Loretto (2025): Menopause, work and mid-life: Challenging the ideal worker stereotype. In: Gender, work & organization, Jg. 32, H. 1, S. 116-131. DOI:10.1111/gwao.13136

Abstract

"This article investigates how the complexity of life domains of menopause-aged women creates a paradox of simultaneously challenging the ideal worker stereotype while being caught within it. The empirical setting of menopause at work acts to highlight how work, life, and health pressures are entangled in how women present themselves at work, through varying organizational and societal expectations of being ‘fit for work’. We draw on 80 semi-structured, life-course interviews of women over 50 working in four occupational settings: social care, manufacturing, finance, and self-employed. Findings are presented through three empirical vignettes, providing unique insight into how ideal worker expectations perpetuate or challenge the persistent silencing of ‘being’ menopausal at work, reinforced by life domain experiences relevant to mid-life. We present a theoretical contribution to ideal worker theory by highlighting that women who redefine the ideal worker stereotype might be less vulnerable to gendered ageist workplace cultures. We provide a practical contribution for how organizations can better support this generation and future generations of mid-life women at work." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

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Alzueta, Elisabet, Luca Menghini, Laila Volpe, Fiona C. Baker, Ann Garnier, Philip M. Sarrel & Massimiliano de Zambotti (2024): Navigating menopause at work: a preliminary study about challenges and support systems. In: Menopause, Jg. 31, H. 4, S. 258-265. DOI:10.1097/gme.0000000000002333

Abstract

"Objective: Women's increasing workforce participation necessitates understanding unique life phases like menopause for enhanced workplace inclusivity. This research investigates the challenges and needs of peri-menopausal women in work settings, using the Job Demands–Resources model as a foundation. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was administered to 351 working women aged 40 to 65 years in the United States. Hierarchical multiple regression models were employed to assess the relationship between the severity of menopausal symptoms, emotional exhaustion, work engagement, and turnover intentions. Results: Most of the respondents reported moderate (38.46%) to severe (35.9%) menopausal symptoms. Notably, 54% of the women were caregivers for children or adults. About 77.7% of participants reported work-related challenges due to menopause, with a perceived reduction in productivity (56.8%) being the most common issue. The severity of menopausal symptoms was found to significantly predict more emotional exhaustion (P < 0.001), less work engagement (P < 0.001), and greater turnover intentions (P = 0.03). Concerns about being perceived as less capable in the workplace due to menopausal symptoms were reported by 51.2% of respondents. A striking gap exists between the workplace measures desired by women, such as formal menopause policies and managerial training (65.4%-68%), and their actual implementation (2%-6.3%). Conclusions: This study reveals an exigent need for increased awareness and structural changes to support working women going through menopause. The findings have far-reaching implications for not just promoting gender equity and well-being but are also pivotal for maintaining a diversified, engaged, and effective workforce." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Collins, Helen & Susan Helen Barry (2024): 'Difficult to Divulge': The Impact of Organisational Silence around the Menopause. In: Work, Employment and Society, Jg. 38, H. 5, S. 1445-1456. DOI:10.1177/09500170231212127

Abstract

"This article presents an account of one woman’s experience of the menopause. Affecting 51% of the global population, menopause has the potential to negatively impact home and work life. Yet, the arrival of menopause can often be a surprise due to a lack of education and awareness. Over 63% of UK working women claim menopause has negatively affected their careers, yet only 30% of employers support women to work through the menopause, and the cost to business and to women’s health is significant. Shrouded in silence, the menopause is often misunderstood, and taboo exists. Therefore, women do not divulge, and many leave their jobs unsupported. Through Grace’s story, this article explores how women ’s hormone health can affect work and by opening up conversations andraising awareness, as we have with mental health, it is possible to eradicate the silence behind the taboo." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Conti, Gabriella, Rita Ginja, Petra Persson & Barton Willage (2024): The menopause "penalty". (IfS working paper 2024,05), Frankfurt, Main, 42 S. DOI:10.1920/wp.ifs.2024.0524

Abstract

"Menopause is a major biological shock to women, marking the end of their reproductive years. Despite its relevance, scant research has studied how menopause impacts social dynamics, labor market outcomes, or health care demand. Using high-quality linked national register administrative data from Norway and Sweden, combined with a stacked difference-in-differences design, we estimate the effect of menopause diagnosis on employment and earnings, reliance on social safety net programs, and demand for medical care. We find that menopause affects a broad swath of women’s lives, ranging from a temporary increase in visits to doctors, to a persistent decline in full-time employment and earnings, and an increased receipt of social transfers. The earnings losses amount to 20% relative to the pre-menopause levels. Our results suggest that policies aimed at supporting women who suffer more serious symptoms around the menopausal transition may have wide-ranging benefits." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Cowell, Alexandra Cristina, Adam Gilmour & Daniel Atkinson (2024): Support Mechanisms for Women during Menopause: Perspectives from Social and Professional Structures. In: Women, Jg. 4, H. 1, S. 53-72. DOI:10.3390/women4010005

Abstract

"Approximately one billion women globally have undergone menopause, occurring at an age of around 51 years and typically between ages 45 and 54. As life expectancy increases, women are projected to spend at least one-third of their lives in postmenopause, emphasising the growing importance of menopause as a critical public health issue. In this context, this paper aims to offer updated insights into the increasing societal and political interest in menopause. It underscores the impact of support mechanisms encompassing familial, workplace, medical, technological, and government support on women’s attitudes and experiences around menopause. Furthermore, the study aims to identify key gaps in research, practice, or legislation concerning support systems for menopausal women and provide recommendations for enhancing familial, workplace, medical, technological, and government support." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))