A qualitative, embedded case study that used a Strengths Approach (McCashen, 2017) theoretical and methodological framework is presented. The study explores the instance and impacts of menopause on the well-being and success of a small group of women in educational leadership roles (including the author) in a regional Australian university setting. Menopause occurs at the age when executive leadership career opportunities are at a peak for women in the Higher Education sector, yet it remains a largely hidden, ‘taboo’ subject in the academic workplace. Literature reveals not only significant medical impacts on menopausal women but also broader social and work-related impacts on women, their colleagues, and employers (Rees, et al., 2021). Support systems and specialised medical services for menopause are often lacking in regional centres of Australia, yet 97% of women across Australia experience physical symptoms and 63% experience psychological symptoms. Regional variations have been found to contribute to women’s perceptions of their knowledge of menopause and their sense of support (Panay et al., 2021).
Strengths-based case study research was used as a collaborative rather than expert-led approach. Multiple stakeholder perspectives were examined with participants reflecting on their ‘lived experiences’ and recording the rich contexts in which they were embedded. Data collection methods for the case study, included informal qualitative face-to-face interviews and conversational electronic semi-structured interviews. Thematic and strengths-based analysis was used iteratively to reveal pertinent themes, strengths and solutions arising from the stakeholder data.
Significant menopausal symptoms and impacts were experienced by the academic leaders. Symptoms included menopausal insomnia, vasomotor symptoms of hot flushes and night sweats, fatigue, anxiety, poor concentration, memory loss and anxiety. There was a significant relationship between symptoms and expressed negative impacts on work performance. Participants recorded feeling stressed, over-worked, missing deadlines, increasing their use of sick leave, feeling a lack of capacity/energy for work tasks and lacked confidence or were overlooked in applying for promotions or new roles. Positive strategies that assisted with menopause included supervisor awareness of menopause impacts, a newly introduced leave category for menopause, and acknowledgement of menopause as a limiting equal employment factor in the promotions process. These small scale case study findings have understandable limitations in that results are not easily replicable or suitable to make universal conclusions or recommendations. Nevertheless, this contextual, small-scale study generated in-depth and insightful individualised responses that contribute to increased understanding of menopause and provides supportive strategies to assist women leaders in Higher Education.
References
McCashen, W. (2017). The strengths approach (2nd ed.). St. Luke’s Innovative Resources.
Panay, N., Palacios, S., Davison, S., & Baber, R. (2021). Women’s perception of the menopause transition: a multinational, prospective, community-based survey. Gynecological and Reproductive Endocrinology and Metabolism. 2(3) 178-183.
Rees, M., Bitzer, J., Cano, A., Ceausu, I., Chedraui, P., Durmusoglu, F., ... & Lambrinoudaki, I. (2021). Global consensus recommendations on menopause in the workplace: a European Menopause and Andropause Society (EMAS) position statement. Maturitas, 151, 55-62. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.maturitas.2021.06.006
