New comic calls for improved menopause support in the workplace

Dundee’s Comics Studies Creative Research Hub partnered with Aberdeen PhD student Chithramali Rodrigo and artists to design a comic to raise awareness of the realities of living with menopause and how it affects women in the workplace. 

Navigating Menopause in the Workplace, was funded by Henpicked, an organisation supporting and advocating for those going through menopause. The story follows the character of Melanie as she starts to experience menopause symptoms and follows her on her journey to diagnosis. It focuses on how menopause, and a lack of support, affects her at work. 

The comic is written by Chithramali and Professor Christopher Murray,Chair of English and Comics Studies at Dundee, with artwork by comics creators Katy Stone and Phillip Vaughan. 

Professor Murray said, “The power of the comics medium is the combination of word and image. Comics have a universal appeal, but they’re often misunderstood in the Anglo-American context as just for children and limited to genres like humour or superheroes.

“In reality, comics are a sophisticated medium that can layer nuance and complexity into storytelling, making them particularly effective for capturing lived experience. 

“Readers absorb this almost intuitively – comics pose questions, involve a degree of problem-solving, and inspire interaction and discussion. This is one reason why autobiographical and healthcare comics have been so successful and are so powerful and appropriate for a subject like menopause.”

It is hoped the comic will break down barriers, reduce stigma of menopause in the workplace and empower women to ask for the support they need. It also aims to highlight to employers their obligations to make their work environments more inclusive.

Chithramali said, “My PhD involves developing a toolkit to support women experiencing menopause at work. As part of this, I interviewed employed women going through menopause. 

“They reported that both awareness of menopause and support measures to overcome its impact on work required significant improvements. They wished there was better awareness about menopause amongst all staff, including their line managers and colleagues. I thought a comic would serve this purpose very well.

“The main message of our comic is to convey the impact of menopause on work, how to find solutions and support those who are impacted by it. By reading this comic the women experiencing menopause will gain awareness about the sources of support available to them and how and when to seek support.

“We hope managers and colleagues will learn about the impact menopause can have and how they can support someone through it. We hope the awareness will motivate them to become partners in creating a more inclusive workplace where everyone can thrive.” 

The comic, published by UniVerse Comics and Henpicked, will be distributed to workplaces. It was funded through Henpicked’s Menopause and Menstruation Friendly Employer Awards as part of their commitment to support charities, research and education initiatives that break down barriers, start conversations and remove stigma.

Consultants include Dr Jacqui Hutchison, Professor Louise Phillips, Linda Engles, Stuart Hall and Claire Robertson, from the University of Aberdeen, Atiyah Kamran, Consultant Gynaecologist and Menopause Specialist at the Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, and Deborah Garlick and Sally Leech from Henpicked.

‘Navigating Menopause in the Workplace’ can be downloaded for free at https://henpicked.net/menopause/comic/#download.