Menstrual pain in the workplace

illustration of a woman sitting in front of a computer with pain and one hand on her stomach

AI generated: The image is generated by ChatGPT

Duration
08.06.2025–31.08.2026

We are researching how menstrual pain affects the work life of menstruating employees (usually women between 13-53 years; Gottschalk et al. 2020). With menstruation accompanying women for around 40 years and around 44% of women experiencing moderate to severe pain during menstruation (Fooladi et al., 2023), we want to examine how and under which conditions menstrual pain influences work.

Contact

  • Sophia Humps University of Oslo Project Manager
  • Helena Anita Malvik University of Oslo Master Student
  • Amina Jasmin Baazi University of Oslo Master Student

This research project is centered around two Master's theses in work and organizational psychology.

The first thesis explores how dysmenorrhea is linked to increased exhaustion through presenteeism and the tendency to work extra hours to compensate for lost productivity. It also investigates whether a medical diagnosis for menstrual pain affects the extent to which individuals with dysmenorrhea engage in presenteeism and take on additional work hours.

The second thesis examines the role of supportive leadership and flexible work arrangements in helping employees address performance challenges associated with dysmenorrhea. Specifically, it analyzes whether flexible work arrangements mediate the relationship between dysmenorrhea and job performance, as well as the moderating effects of leader-member exchange. More detailed information is available on each projects sub-page.

Participants

  • Helena Anita Malvik University of Oslo Master Student
  • Amina Jasmin Baazi University of Oslo Master Student
  • Picture of Sophia Elisabeth Maria Humps
    Sophia Elisabeth Maria Humps University of Oslo Supervisor
  • Picture of Nina M. Junker
    Nina M. Junker University of Oslo Co supervisor
Norwegian version of this page
Published June 25, 2025 10:30 AM - Last modified June 25, 2025 10:30 AM