What happens when institutions are designed around an “ideal worker” who never menstruates, never gets pregnant, never gives birth, and never experiences menopause?
Perhaps the answer lies in how many of our modern institutions were originally built. Long before women entered public life in significant numbers, men dominated politics, commerce, governance, and formal employment. From the early democracies of Athens to Wall Street, many of the assumptions underpinning our institutions were shaped around male life experiences.
For me, it is always another day out here seeking an equitable world. That was certainly the case recently while attending WILAN’s cross-sector convening, where women leaders from law, health, finance, agriculture, and other sectors gathered to discuss solutions to challenges they faced in leadership and development. As I listened to the conversations around the room, I was struck by something unexpected.
The women were discussing different industries, different professions, and different experiences. Yet many of them were describing variations of the same reality: navigating systems that were never fully designed with women in mind.
And then it dawned on me. Who are our systems built for? That question led me down a path I had not expected and eventually brought me to menopause.
