The Margherita von Brentano Center will once again present projects and new publications in the field of gender studies at Freie Universität Berlin in the summer term 2025.

All interested parties are cordially invited to bring lunch and join the discussion!

Heike Pantelmann (Margherita von Brentano Center), Jennifer Chan de Avila (Otto Suhr Institute of Political Science)

Menstrual health remains a largely neglected topic in the workplace. While discussions around menstruation and menstrual cycles are slowly gaining visibility, menopause remains the most silenced aspect of menstrual health. Despite affecting millions of workers worldwide, it is still framed as a private or medical issue rather than a structural concern, reinforcing gendered ageism and workplace inequalities. But what if menopause were seen not as an individual challenge, but as a crucial workplace issue, one that requires systemic, rather than personal, solutions?

Menopause is not just a biological transition, it is embedded in social norms, power structures, and workplace cultures that shape professional experiences. The stigma surrounding menopause often forces employees to downplay or hide their symptoms for fear of discrimination, leading to self-censorship, exclusion, and the loss of experienced talent. Addressing this issue requires a fundamental rethink of how workplaces define health, productivity, and inclusion. Organizations must move beyond superficial accommodations and actively integrate menopause into their frameworks for workplace equity and well-being. Drawing from the book Wechseljahre am Arbeitsplatz: Handlungskonzept für ein innovatives betriebliches Gesundheitsmanagement (Chan de Avila & Nitsche 2025) this talk explores menopause through three key dimensions: physical, psychological, and socio-affective, demonstrating why it must be recognized as more than a private health matter.

How does menopause expose the limitations of workplace health policies? In what ways do gender and age intersect to shape professional trajectories? And most importantly, what would a truly menopause-inclusive workplace look like? This talk invites participants to rethink menopause as a workplace transformation issue, one that challenges traditional notions of labor, health, and inclusion. Through an interactive discussion, we will explore how organizations, policies, and cultural narratives must shift to ensure that menopause is no longer a silent career barrier, but instead a recognized and supported life transition.

Hybride event
Teilnahme unter: https://fu-berlin.webex.com/fu-berlin/j.php?MTID=maafdbbaaa4be9af09dd4838a33c1f1b4
Oder im Raum K 31/102, Freie Universität Berlin, Rostlaube