Adjustments could be made if more knowledge is gained

Abstract

This thesis has been written based on a qualitative interview study aiming to identify attitudes and the need for support to include menstrual and menopausal aspects in work environment-work. The purpose of the study was formulated based on the problem that menstruation and menopause in working life are seen as an invisible issue and a material phenomena that have been absent in workplace discussions. This has led to a research gap. The study's research questions are “In what way do managers believe that menstrual and menopausal problems are or should become a part of the work environment in the workplace?”, “What support do managers perceive that they need to be able to include menstrual and menopausal aspects in the work environment in the workplace?” and “If adjustments are made, how and what kind of adjustments are made?”. The sociological relevance of the study lies in the stigma associated with menstruation and menopause, as well as the connection to gender equality and gender discrimination, since these issues have not been discussed in working life. The theoretical framework for the study is Thomas Scheff's theory of the sociology of emotions, Dellve and Eriksson’s system theory with a practical perspective to highlight leadership innovations and idiosyncratic deals, which can be described as personal agreements between managers and individual employees. The results show that managers believe menopause and menstruation should be included in the work environment-work in such a way that it should not be taboo, and there should be an open dialogue about any issues between managers and employees. The results also show that the desired support for managers is to gain increased knowledge about menstruation and menopause in order to speak openly with their employees about it, and that trade unions should help break the taboos surrounding menstruation and menopause in working life. Finally, the results show that several adjustments are being made, but these were not originally intended for women with menstruation and menopause-related issues.