Hot topic: Examining discursive representations of menopause and work in the British media

Abstract

This study builds on Goffman's idea of stigma to examine how mainstream print media in the UK have framed menopause over the past decade, especially concerning work. We used a computational corpus-assisted discourse analysis (CADS) approach to analyze 2993 articles on menopause. The results indicate increased attention to menopause and, more recently, to menopause and work. However, the narrative consistently foregrounds negative aspects associated with dysfunction, decline, and unpredictable behavior, especially around litigation. These discursive representations reinforce the stigma around menopause by constructing women at this stage of life as the dangerous other, affected by physical and mental abnormalities. For women not to be disadvantaged at work, menopause representations must be more balanced by including more positive stories. Our study offers insights that can be of relevance to emerging workplace policies and assist the media in communicating the issues of menopause and work. We also make a methodological contribution by taking the CADS approach to explore empirically and systematically the dominant discourses around menopause in the UK mainstream media just over the last decade.