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Finally! US women are talking about menopause!
I have been interested in adult development and especially women in midlife since I was in my 20s (that was a few decades ago!) About 15 years ago, I started researching professional women in midlife - challenges, stages of leadership development as women moved through stages of adult development. I know, a bit nerdy! Not surprisingly there was precious little anecdotal research and no formal research at all.
As the years went by I began to see a bit here and there. And, about four years ago I started to see research coming out of the UK and Australia. And, not only were they talking about midlife women but midlife women dealing with menopause. And, not only were they talking about menopause - but menopause in the workplace. Oh my!
I contacted the most prominent group and we connected over video conference. It was very exciting. Yup - nerdy. I decided that I wanted to start the conversation here in the US. I also wanted to address it in the context of ageism as I see it as a Diversity and Inclusion issue. Well, I can’t even begin to tell you how much the local women I spoke with didn’t want to talk about menopause. Again, oh my!
About two years ago I did a research study of my own and interviewed about 200 professional women about midlife, ageism and menopause. I got a lot of interesting results. But, more in that later.
A year ago, I started a free video conference for women dealing with menopause in the workplace. The number of women participating has grown and the discussions are great. And, we are now seeing more and more mentions of menopause and midlife in the workplace in the US media. Finally! Radio, TV, print - all over the place.
I would love to hear your thoughts, hear your stories, provide a forum for open discussions, provide information and support. What are you experiencing in the workplace around menopause? Do you know the symptoms of perimenopause and how to deal with them at work - or at home? Are you being impacted by ageism? How are you dealing with it? Do you understand how to think about menopause when you are in your 20s and 30s so that you will have an easier time when it arrives? Have you experienced an early menopause?
I look forward to hearing from you!
What a wonderful environment! It would be so great if all workplaces were as “human” as your place is. We could all use that kind of permission to be ourselves at work.
Hi there!
I work in an office primarily staffed with women, and we are all at different stages within the womaning spectrum. I, myself, will be 52 this year. There are two men who work in our office - one of whom is our supervisor - and a few other men in our other departments. Maybe we are unique in our environment. We talk about ev.e.ry.thing. Ev.e.ry.thing. Nothing is taboo. We talk as humans going through what humans go through, individually and collectively. I think because we work with such diverse populations, it would be difficult to work with our people without being - or getting - comfortable with the myriad things that hit us from out of left field. It is really not unusual for one of us to say, "Damn, it's hot in here. Am I having a hot flash or what?" There is not a stigma around aging, for women or men. That is not to say that if one of our guys hears that, he might back away slowly or try to smile whilst walking around us, but they appreciate that, too, as they are all have female spouses, partners, and/or exes. I find the level of humanity we have with one another to be one of the things I love about where I work. We are a bit of a village here, and so, we have that nice mix of professional respect and personal camaraderie. We are big on self-care and family, understanding disabilities and disabling factors, and giving each other space and support for the things life throws at us, both on and off the job.
If I couldn't spend my MenoCreds at work, I think I would be quite miserable! :)