This study examines how menopause is perceived in different parts of the world and how this transition may influence the careers of women with various social class backgrounds through a job demands–resources lens.
We draw on 205 qualitative surveys with working-class and non-working class women from around the globe who are currently going through or have been through menopause transition.
We point to the socially constructed nature of menopause and challenge the dominant medical discourse around decline and hindrance to workplace functioning. Further, we show that while menopause creates an imbalance between personal and work-related demands on the one hand and personal and job resources on the other for all women, women with a working-class background find themselves trapped in a particularly vulnerable position. Specifically, they are more likely to work in physically challenging jobs (greater job demands), are more likely to have caring responsibilities (greater personal demands), tend to have worse menopausal symptoms (lower personal resources) and tend to work in precarious jobs that provide less protection and feel less entitled to ask for workplace support (lower job resources). This imbalance may lead women to feel less confident and no longer see themselves as competent, worthy professionals, hindering as such their career development.
We stress that menopause is perceived differently in various parts of the world and highlight that social class may exacerbate the debilitating influence of menopause on women's careers.
