Paper Topic Ideas

From forbidden topic to big business: Menopause in the news

We've probably all had the experience of suddenly seeing a topic everywhere once we develop a personal interest in it.  I kind of figured this is what was happening to me with the topic of menopause -- after all, I'm approaching fifty years old and have just started experiencing a hot flash here and there, I figured I was probably just noticing menopause in the news because it was suddenly directly relevant to me.  But, it turns out, I wasn't the only one who noticed this uptick in coverage of a previously little discussed, even taboo, subject (in fact, I went back and forth about whether this would be an appropriate topic for this blog!).   The daily news podcast from the New York Times, The Daily, recently had an episode entitled "Menopause is having a moment".  

This, in and of itself, could be a really interesting topic for a paper: why is menopause suddenly in the news (and, maybe, why was it so little discussed in the past)?  I also quickly brainstormed some approaches to paper topics related to the menopause stories I was seeing in the news.  These are meant to give you a sense of the range of possibilities that a broad topic like "menopause" might open up if you think creatively and flexibly about your approach.

Menopause and marketing

Menopause as marketing ploy: you could focus only on legitimate businesses or only on unscrupulous businesses selling ineffective treatments or look at both.  Some example articles:

Jacobs, Emma . “The Menopause Makeover — What to Make of a “Gold Rush” of New Products.” Www.ft.com, 6 Feb. 2023.

Larocca, Amy. “Welcome to the Menopause Gold Rush.” The New York Times, 21 Dec. 2022.

Lewis, Helen. “Capitalism Has Plans for Menopause.” The Atlantic, 30 Oct. 2023.

Search terms: menopause capitalism, menopause business, menopause marketing

Menopause and the economy and workplace

Another angle to look at, staying in the "money" mindset, is the financial impact of menopause on people experiencing it and on workplaces.  For this topic you could focus purely or mostly on the economic impacts (eg. lost wages, lost productivity) or you could focus on the experience of menopausal people in the workplace, work place reforms that can help, etc

Examples of articles talking about the economic effects of menopause:

Gupta, Alisha Haridasani. “Study Shows the Staggering Cost of Menopause for Women in the Work Force.” The New York Times, 28 Apr. 2023.

“Menopause Has Massive Economic Impact, Study Reveals.” NBC News, 27 Apr. 2023.

Rae, Aparna. “Beyond Hot Flashes: A Deep Dive into Menopause, Work, and the Economy.” Forbes, 18 Oct. 2023.

Search terms: menopause "economic impact", menopause economy, menopause productivity

Some examples looking at menopause in the workplace:

Butler, Kelsey. “How Does Menopause Affect Women in the Workplace?” Time, 26 Apr. 2023.

Gupta, Alisha Haridasani. “Study Shows the Staggering Cost of Menopause for Women in the Work Force.” The New York Times, 28 Apr. 2023.

Otterman, Sharon, and Yana Paskova. “A Movement to Make Workplaces “Menopause Friendly.”” The New York Times, 22 May 2023.

Search terms: menopause workplace

Hormone treatment: History and politics

One big theme I've seen in this recent spate of coverage around menopause is the shifting political and medical perspective around treating menopausal symptoms with hormone therapy.  This topic would lend itself to both informative papers and persuasive papers.  Informative papers could look at the very interesting history of hormone replacement therapy and persuasive papers could make various arguments surrounding the politics of these treatments.

Cagnacci, Angelo, and Martina Venier. “The Controversial History of Hormone Replacement Therapy.” Medicina, vol. 55, no. 9, 18 Sept. 2019.

Dominus, Susan. “Women Have Been Misled about Menopause.” The New York Times, 1 Feb. 2023.

“Millions of Women Are Missing out on Hormone Replacement Therapy.” The Economist, 12 Dec. 2019.

Search terms: menopause "hormone replacement" history, menopause "hormone replacement" politics

Stigma

As I said earlier, I hesitated to even use this topic as an example for the blog because this was definitely a topic no one talked about while I was growing up.  It might be interesting to explore that stigma a bit in a paper.

Fisher, Margary Zable. “With Menopause Parties, Gen X Is Celebrating Middle Age without the Shame and Stigma.” Fortune Well, 10 Sept. 2023.

“Menopause Is Ubiquitous, so Why Is It Often Stigmatized and Ignored?” PBS NewsHour, 30 Apr. 2023.

The Lancet. “Attitudes towards Menopause: Time for Change.” The Lancet, vol. 399, no. 10343, June 2022, p. 2243.

Search terms: menopause stigma, menopause attitudes

Other topics galore

These are just the big patterns I noticed popping up in the news lately.  I think there are tons of other interesting topics including:

attitudes about aging and menopause across cultures, menopause and transgender people, the lack of research about menopause and how that relates to women's healthcare more generally, feminist attitudes toward menopause, menopause as rite of passage, comparing attitudes toward menarche and menopause, depictions of post-menopausal women (in art, in pop culture, historically, etc), online communities/social media and the role they have played in changing the conversation around menopause, celebrity culture and menopause,  menopause and BIPOC people, menopause and disability, menopause and parenting

And finally...here is a sampling of books from our catalog:

What Fresh Hell Is This? by Heather Corinna

Publication Date: 2021-06-01

"An informative, blisteringly funny, somewhat cranky and always spot-on guide to perimenopause and menopause by the award-winning sex ed/health educator and author of S.E.X"--Provided by publisher. "Perimenopause and menopause experiences are as unique as all of us who move through them. While there's no one-size-fits-all, Heather Corinna tells you what can happen and what you can do to take care of yourself, all the while busting pernicious myths, offering real self-care tips--the kind that won't break the bank or your soul--and running the gamut from hot flashes to hormone therapy. With big-tent, practical, clear information and support, and inclusive of so many who have long been left out of the discussion--people with disabilities; queer, transgender, nonbinary, and other gender-diverse people; BIPOC; working class and other folks--What Fresh Hell Is This? is the cooling pillow and empathetic best friend to help you through the fire." -- Publisher's description

 

The Menopause Manifesto by Jen Gunter

Publication Date: 2021-05-25

The only thing predictable about menopause is its unpredictability. Factor in widespread misinformation, a lack of research, and the culture of shame around women's bodies, and it's no wonder women are unsure what to expect during the menopause transition and beyond. Menopause is not a disease--it's a planned change, like puberty. And just like puberty, we should be educated on what's to come years in advance, rather than the current practice of leaving people on their own with bothersome symptoms and too much conflicting information. Knowing what is happening, why, and what to do about it is both empowering and reassuring. Filled with practical, reassuring information, this essential guide will revolutionize how women experience menopause--including how their lives can be even better for it!

 

Flash Count Diary by Darcey Steinke

Publication Date: 2019-06-18

By weaving together her personal story with philosophy, science, art, and literature, the author provides an exploration into aspects of menopause that have rarely been written about, including the changing gender landscape that reduced levels of hormones brings, the actualities of transforming desires, and the realities of prejudice against older women.

 

 

 

The Slow Moon Climbs: the science, history, and meaning of menopause by Susan Mattern

Publication Date: 2019-10-08

"Are the ways we look at menopause all wrong? Historian Susan Mattern says yes, and The Slow Moon Climbs reveals just how wrong we have been. Taking readers from the rainforests of Paraguay to the streets of Tokyo, Mattern draws on historical, scientific, and cultural research to reveal how our perceptions of menopause developed from prehistory to today. For most of human history, people had no word for menopause and did not view it as a medical condition. Rather, in traditional foraging and agrarian societies, it was a transition to another important life stage. This book, then, introduces new ways of understanding life beyond fertility. Mattern examines the fascinating "Grandmother Hypothesis"--which argues for the importance of elders in the rearing of future generations - as well as other evolutionary theories that have generated surprising insights about menopause and the place of older people in society. She looks at agricultural communities where households relied on postreproductive women for the family's survival. And she explores the emergence of menopause as a medical condition in the Western world. It was only around 1700 that people began to see menopause as a dangerous pathological disorder linked to upsetting symptoms that rendered women weak and vulnerable. Mattern argues that menopause was another syndrome, like hysterical suffocation or melancholia, that emerged or reemerged in early modern Europe in tandem with the rise of a professional medical class. The Slow Moon Climbs casts menopause, at last, in the positive light it deserves - not only as an essential life stage, but also as a key factor in the history of human flourishing."--Publisher's website.