The dialectic of (menopause) zest: Breaking the mold of organizational irrelevance

Camilla Quental (), Pilar Rojas Gaviria and Céline del Bucchia
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Camilla Quental: Métis Lab EM Normandie - EM Normandie - École de Management de Normandie = EM Normandie Business School, New York University [Abu Dhabi] - NYU - NYU System, Audencia Recherche - Audencia Business School
Pilar Rojas Gaviria: University of Birmingham [Birmingham]
Céline del Bucchia: Audencia Recherche - Audencia Business School

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Abstract: Drawing from women's testimonials in The Guardian and from contributions of feminist writers, Virginia Woolf, Julia Kristeva, and Margaret Mead, we start a conversation on the positive and energizing aspects of menopause in the workplace. We propose a social interpretation of menopause that challenges a pervasive perspective of medical decline: A theorization of "the dialectic of zest," as inspired by the writings of Margaret Mead. By problematizing the experiences of women going through this transition in the workplace, we reveal how well‐intentioned awareness campaigns can lead to further stigmatization. We thus encourage organizations to not only favor an approach of "education for all" but also extend their social imaginaries beyond medicalized perspectives and coping views. Organizations can then embrace the potential of "zest," a positive side of menopause that remains largely unknown. We argue that organizations, inspired by a holistic view of menopause in the workplace, can creatively support the professional progressions and ambitions of not only women but also all employees.

Keywords: feminist writers; menopause; stigmatization; workplace; zest (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023-05-19
Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://hal.science/hal-04820140v1
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Published in Gender, Work and Organization, 2023, 30 (5), pp.1816-1838. ⟨10.1111/gwao.13017⟩

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-04820140

DOI: 10.1111/gwao.13017

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