Date of Award

2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy in Industrial/Organizational Psychology (PhD)

Department

Industrial/Organizational Psychology

First Advisor/Committee Member

Paul Yost, Ph.D.

Second Advisor/Committee Member

Katy Tangenberg, Ph.D.

Third Advisor/Committee Member

Kait Rohlfing, Ph.D.

Keywords

gender exclusion, menopause at work, menopausal symptoms, climate of inclusion, non-gendered workplace inclusion, team inclusion

Abstract

Inclusion within workplace environments is increasingly important as workforce diversity continues to expand. Despite anti-discrimination laws, women and other underrepresented groups often face exclusion in the workplace, which negatively affects their professional growth, health, and well-being. This research focused on how menopause, a natural biological transition, compounds workplace exclusion for women. Specifically, the study investigated the relationship between Menopause Experience and two workplace outcomes, Organizational Commitment and Turnover Intention, and assessed the moderating effects of Inclusion in organizations, teams, and non-gendered workplace cultures. There were strong positive relationships between all three dimensions of Inclusion with both Organizational Commitment and Turnover Intention. Results did not find significant interactions between Menopausal Experience and the Inclusion measures, although Team Inclusion and Non-gendered Cultural Inclusion interactions did approach significance. Further analyses suggested that higher perceptions of Inclusion, especially at the team level and in non-gendered cultural environments, buffered Turnover Intention for menopausal women. These findings suggest that inclusive workplace climate and culture can play a meaningful role in mitigating some of the adverse effects of menopause at work, even if they do not fully eliminate the effects. Implications for theory, practice, and future research are discussed.

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