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The Menopause Taboo at Work: Examining Women’s Embodied Experiences of Menopause in the UK Police Service

Author

Listed:
  • Carol Atkinson

    (Manchester Metropolitan University, UK)

  • Fiona Carmichael

    (University of Birmingham, UK)

  • Jo Duberley

    (University of Birmingham, UK)

Abstract

This article contributes to the growing body of knowledge about gendered ageing at work through an examination of the embodied experiences of women undergoing menopause transition in the UK police service. Drawing on 1197 survey responses, providing both quantitative and qualitative data gathered across three police forces in 2017–18, the findings highlight the importance of a material-discursive approach that considers contextual influences on women’s bodily experiences. The article evidences gendered ageism and the penalty suffered by women whose ageing bodies fail to comply with an ideal worker norm. It makes an important contribution both to theorising embodiment, drawing in age as well as gender discourses, and to promoting a material-discursive approach that recognises the materiality of the body while also offering the potential for agency, reflection and resistance.

Suggested Citation

  • Carol Atkinson & Fiona Carmichael & Jo Duberley, 2021. "The Menopause Taboo at Work: Examining Women’s Embodied Experiences of Menopause in the UK Police Service," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 35(4), pages 657-676, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:woemps:v:35:y:2021:i:4:p:657-676
    DOI: 10.1177/0950017020971573
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Delanoë, Daniel & Hajri, Selma & Bachelot, Annie & Mahfoudh Draoui, Dorra & Hassoun, Danielle & Marsicano, Elise & Ringa, Virginie, 2012. "Class, gender and culture in the experience of menopause. A comparative survey in Tunisia and France," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 75(2), pages 401-409.
    2. Robyn Lee, 2018. "Breastfeeding Bodies: Intimacies at Work," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(1), pages 77-90, January.
    3. Orlikowski, W. J. & Scott, Susan V., 2015. "Exploring material-discursive practices," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 57600, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    4. Sarah Yates & Kathleen Riach & Marjana Johansson, 2018. "Stress at Work, Gendered Dys†appearance and the Broken Body in Policing," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(1), pages 91-105, January.
    5. Wanda J. Orlikowski & Susan V. Scott, 2015. "Exploring Material-Discursive Practices," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 52(5), pages 697-705, July.
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    Cited by:

    1. Elizabeth Cotton & T Alexandra Beauregard & Janroj Yilmaz Keles, 2021. "Gender Equalities: What Lies Ahead," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 35(4), pages 615-620, August.

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