Research by Asia Friedman, professor and associate chair in the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice, and Ann V. Bell, professor in the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice was published on May 20, 2026, in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior.

Menopause affects millions of individuals and is a sociologically compelling topic, cross-cutting the subfields of medicine, gender, body, family and work. Yet to date, little sociological research examines the process. Indeed, menopause is the least studied female reproductive event among pregnancy, childbirth and menstruation. Thus, in this article, Bell and Friedman review the existing social scientific research on menopause in an effort to expose what remains to be studied. The review begins with literature on the social construction of menopause. The authors then explore studies of how social meanings shape experiences of menopause. As the analysis reveals, sociologists have a clear picture of the medicalization of menopause and how medical meanings shape experiences. Yet the nuances of this construction are less clear, including how menopausal experiences vary and how menopause relates to the reproductive life course broadly. The authors conclude by highlighting these and other gaps in the sociological understanding of menopause.