Menstruation, maternity, motherhood, and menopause: milestones that shape women’s careers and work experiences

In this entry, we synthesize research investigating how reproductive transitions in women’s lives—menstruation, maternity, motherhood, and menopause—direct their career trajectories and work experiences. These reproductive milestones are unique, inherent, and almost universally encountered by women regardless of their career stage and status. Despite growing efforts to understand the experiences of women in the workforce, discussions relating to their reproductive health remain a taboo and unresolved topic. We therefore present key psychological implications that are particular to the reproductive transitions that women experience. In addition, we highlight how prevailing societal attitudes towards working women can facilitate or impede their success. Ultimately, our aim is two-fold: to generate scholarly attention linking women’s reproductive transitions with their organizational life, and to encourage leaders to establish workplaces that are responsive to women’s reproductive health and rights.