4 From pregnancy to menopause: evolving workplace protections in the United States

The chapter assesses similarities and differences in both societal attitudes and US legal approaches to four aspects of the reproductive continuum: pregnancy, breastfeeding, menstruation, and menopause. It outlines broad ways the law might evolve to ensure that no reproduction-associated condition or process impedes a person’s full participation in public life. As the chapter recognizes, the law alone cannot transform attitudes toward—or actual experiences of—menopause or any other reproduction-associated condition or process. Nevertheless, the law has a vital role in chipping away at the stigma surrounding menopause, making it more legible to the general public and to the half of the population that inevitably will experience it. Moreover, the law can help ensure the tangible accommodations needed by those who experience pregnancy, breastfeeding, menstruation, and menopause.