The menopause transition experiences of female community college leaders

Abstract

This qualitative hermeneutic phenomenological study was designed to gain insight into the lived experiences of female executive leaders in career pathways that lead to the college presidency regarding their menopause transition while working in the community college workplace. Men outnumber women in the role of the college president even though more than half of college administrators are women and more than half of college students identify as women (Berg et al., 2023; Melidona et al., 2023; Whitford, 2020). Emerging research has demonstrated a relationship between the menopause transition and women’s career progression (Elektra Health, 2022; Faubion et al., 2023; Furst, 2023), and the age range for women to aspire to the college presidency overlaps with the age range when most women experience menopause (Melidona et al., 2023). This study used interpretive analysis and the hermeneutic circle to gain insight into the lived experiences of 12 female executive leaders in career pathways, that traditionally lead to the college presidency, regarding their menopause transition while working in the community college workplace. Themes that emerged from the written responses and semistructured interviews, when viewed through the conceptual lenses of feminism and Acker’s (1992) gendered organization theory, included (a) a desire to normalize the menopause transition experience; (b) the community college executive position characteristics supported the management of menopause transition symptoms, and (c) there was gender bias and stereotypes present in the participants’ workplaces. Participants provided recommendations college leaders and policymakers can use to develop supportive environments for employees experiencing the menopause transition.