Menopause as a Health Issue and the Effects on the Working Relationships of Menopausal Women at the Assumption College

Abstract

A woman's gender role is far from static, and many of the most profound changes occur during the menopausal years. Menopausal women are forced to confront issues of changing sexuality and changing status (status in relation to women and status in relation to men). Researches on these transformations have been going on, among women of various ethnicities and experiences and is using the research to write a drama on the menopausal experience. Menopause is a variable experience, physiologically and psychologically some women experience dramatic symptoms, others experience none. Even women who do not manifest many physical changes may be experiencing numerous changes in identity. Each woman’s understands of her roles within her family, her workplace, and her culture are often reshaped and reimagined at this time. Menopause is a shift in one's "standpoint epistemology," often a shift from a position of comfort and privilege to a position of discomfort and need. This research also involves a self-administered survey gathered through a questionnaire. In this study, women were invited to speak for themselves about their own experiences through their answers. The researcher learned that the status of the menopausal woman is deeply transformative, that menopause is a process of dissolution and rejuvenation, where the woman literally reconstructs her life. Over half of the populations of women at Assumption College are currently menopausal, hence it is critical to better understand menopause.