Menopause Technologies Beyond Ableism and Normativity

Authors

• Omleila Mohammadi, University of Salzburg, Austria; Salzburg University of Applied Sciences, Salzburg, AustriaFollow
• Sabine Thayer, University of Salzburg, AustriaFollow
• Bernhard Maurer, Salzburg University of Applied Sciences, Salzburg, AustriaFollow
• Verena Fuchsberger, University of Salzburg, AustriaFollow

Abstract

Many technologies are available that address menopause, yet more or less exclusively reflect and reinforce dominant narratives of ableism and normativity. To uncover untold stories of the menopause journey and add perspective to the pluralistic menopause experience, we conducted two workshop sessions with cis women and gender-diverse individuals who have experienced menopause. Through feminist and reflexive methodology and using critical disability studies (CDS) as an analytical lens, we present how menopause experiences are shaped through bodily transformations and relational social practices. Finally, we discuss possible future design directions for shaping the menopause experience beyond its conventional notion. We call for designing for interconnectedness as an approach to support a pluralistic menopause experience.

Keywords

menopause; intimate technologies; cis women; trans men; non-binary individuals; feminist design, critical disability studies, care-centred design

DOI

https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.2461

Citation

Mohammadi, O., Thayer, S., Maurer, B., and Fuchsberger, V. (2026) Menopause Technologies Beyond Ableism and Normativity, in Simeone, L., Gray, C. M., Verhoeven, A., de Götzen, A., Bakırlıoğlu, Y., Zohar, H., Stead, M., and Buwert, P. (eds.), DRS2026: Edinburgh, 8–12 June, Edinburgh, United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.2461

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License