Abstract
Presenting findings from our global evidence review of menopause transition and economic participation emboldened us to establish a menopause policy at the university where we all worked at the time. Our report was published in July 2017 and the policy was in place by November that year. Our critical reflection on this activism focuses on issues that are not commonly recognized around such interventions, and which we ourselves have only been able to acknowledge through engaged action. Challenges remain in normalizing menopause in organizations, specifically around gendered ageism and performance management. In drawing on Meyerson and Kolb’s (2000) framework for understanding gender in organizations, we highlight how policies are both vital and yet insufficient in and of themselves in revising the dominant discourse around menopause at work. At the same time, we highlight the importance and shortcomings of academic activism within these processes.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 510-520 |
| Number of pages | 11 |
| Journal | Organization |
| Volume | 28 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| Early online date | 24 Oct 2019 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 10 May 2021 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship and/or publication of this article: We received funding from an ESRC Impact Acceleration Account Award (via the University of Bristol) for our Menopause Survey, as well as broader work with TUC Education and trade union representatives.
Funding Information:
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9024-1910 Beck Vanessa University of Bristol, UK Brewis Jo The Open University, UK Davies Andrea De Montfort University, UK Vanessa Beck, Department of Management, School of Economics, Finance and Management, University of Bristol, Priory Road Complex, Priory Road, Bristol BS8 1TU, UK. Email: [email protected] 10 2019 1350508419883386 © The Author(s) 2019 2019 SAGE Publications Presenting findings from our global evidence review of menopause transition and economic participation emboldened us to establish a menopause policy at the university where we all worked at the time. Our report was published in July 2017 and the policy was in place by November that year. Our critical reflection on this activism focuses on issues that are not commonly recognized around such interventions, and which we ourselves have only been able to acknowledge through engaged action. Challenges remain in normalizing menopause in organizations, specifically around gendered ageism and performance management. In drawing on Meyerson and Kolb’s framework for understanding gender in organizations, we highlight how policies are both vital and yet insufficient in and of themselves in revising the dominant discourse around menopause at work. At the same time, we highlight the importance and shortcomings of academic activism within these processes. Academic activism age gender menopause organizations performance management Economic and Social Research Council https://doi.org/10.13039/501100000269 Impact Acceleration Account edited-state corrected-proof Funding The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship and/or publication of this article: We received funding from an ESRC Impact Acceleration Account Award (via the University of Bristol) for our Menopause Survey, as well as broader work with TUC Education and trade union representatives. ORCID iD Vanessa Beck https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9024-1910
Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2019.
Keywords
- Academic activism
- age
- gender
- menopause
- organizations
- performance management