Managing menopause in neoliberal Higher Education: Sexism, ageism, and tokenism.

Abstract

This paper examines the effectiveness of recent menopause initiatives introduced by universities in England in destigmatising the menopause and providing support for affected staff. The data is drawn from an online survey of 153 employees from 42 universities in England who are experiencing menopause, as well as three focus groups with individuals holding protected characteristics. Our findings suggest that some universities have made notable progress, providing meaningful support through menopause toolkits, cafés, training, and policies that are implemented in practice. Nonetheless, this progress has been inconsistent. In many cases, initiatives were described as patchy and superficial, often reliant on the efforts of a few individual volunteers or wellbeing officers. Participants frequently highlighted the sexist and ageist structures and cultures of academia that marginalise the experiences of women and other minoritised staff. Their accounts also reflected heightened job insecurity and a reluctance to disclose struggles with menopausal symptoms, due to fears of redundancy under neoliberal managerialism and cost-cutting measures. Within this context, menopause policies were widely regarded as tokenistic, poorly communicated, and rarely followed through with concrete action. As a result, stigma around menopause persists, and support for staff remains insufficient in many English universities. We argue that deeply gendered and ageist organisational cultures pose serious challenges to transforming traditional attitudes towards menopause. Furthermore, the neoliberal managerialism of higher education has created additional barriers to meaningful structural and cultural change, prioritising productivity and efficiency over staff wellbeing.