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Inclusion, Equality & Diversity

University of Aberdeen researcher produces comic to raise awareness of menopause’s impact at work

‘Navigating Menopause in the Workplace’ was developed by Chithramali Rodrigo as part of her PhD research into supporting women at work. 

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University of Aberdeen researcher produces comic to raise awareness of menopause’s impact at work
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Chithramali Rodrigo, a postgraduate researcher from the University of Aberdeen has produced a new comic aiming to make menopause in the workplace easier to understand. 

‘Navigating Menopause in the Workplace’ was developed as part of her PhD research into supporting women at work. 

The comic was written by Rodrigo and professor Christopher Murray, chair of comics studies and director of the comics studies creative research hub at the University of Dundee, with artwork by comics artists Katy Stone and Phillip Vaughan.

The research was led by the school of psychology at the University of Aberdeen, with contributions from Linda Engels, Dr Jacqui Hutchison, professor Louise Phillips and Dr Claire Robertson. 

Stuart Hall, equality, diversity and inclusion partner at the University of Aberdeen, also contributed, alongside Atiyah Kamran, consultant gynaecologist and menopause specialist at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, NHS Grampian. Funding came from Henpicked through its menopause and menstruation friendly employer awards, allowing the comic to be made available free of charge.

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The comic follows Melanie as she deals with menopause symptoms at work, moving from uncertainty to diagnosis, then raising awareness in her workplace. 

It highlights workplace changes such as desk fans, flexible hours, shorter breaks and uniform adjustments, showing how symptoms can affect wellbeing, productivity and career choices.

Rodrigo said: “My PhD involves developing a toolkit to support women experiencing menopause at work. 

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“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.”

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Rodrigo added: “They wished there was better awareness about menopause amongst all staff, including their line managers and colleagues. 

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“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.”

She said: “There are already health education materials widely available on menopause. 

“However, I wanted to use a more creative, accessible and user-friendly health education material in my toolkit.

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“The comic’s target audience includes employed women experiencing menopause, their managers and colleagues at a workplace.”

She added: “We hope that 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.”

Murray said: “The power of the comics medium is the combination of word and image. 

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“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.”

Murray added: “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.”

Deborah Garlick from Henpicked: Menopause in the Workplace said: “For over a decade, we’ve been on a mission to raise awareness of menopause and make sure those who need support can access it at work. 

“We know people absorb information in different ways and bringing lived experience and research together in a visual format like this makes the learning more immediate, relatable and memorable. 

“We hope it helps build empathy, spark open conversations and support real, lasting change in workplaces.”

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