A new exhibition exploring the effects of the menopause in women from a range of ethnic backgrounds is opening in Blackburne House, Liverpool, on Thursday 18 September.
‘Menopause and Ethnicity’, runs until 22 September and has been put together by researchers from the University of Liverpool’s Centre for Ageing and the Life Course. The Menopause & Ethnicity project based at the Centre and funded from a Medical Research Council grant, investigates the medical, social, and cultural dimensions of minority ethnic women’s experience of menopause. The exhibition is open to all and will be of interest to people from all communities and professions.
The project specifically focusses on the lived experience of menopause among two minority ethnic groups in Liverpool, working with women of Chinese and Black heritage. The aim of the project is to improve healthcare intervention both during the menopause and later in life.
Telling stories, changing lives
The ‘Menopause and Ethnicity’ exhibition features photographs taken by ten women from the ethnic groups themselves. The images record and document their everyday lives, interactions with healthcare providers, and the day-to-day realities of experiencing the menopause and the changes and challenges it can bring. These photographs are then used to facilitate conversations about their lives and experiences.
Through these often-intimate works, viewers gain an in-depth look at real women’s lives as they navigate health, family, work and community. The very act of recording and sharing their experiences has helped give the women a sense of agency and participation in their own health journeys, which have often, until now, gone unrecorded -and underappreciated.
By understanding life course factors such as socio-demographics, migration history, employment, and reproductive history, researchers and participants alike can begin to build a more rounded and ethnically appropriate care practice, both during the menopause and beyond.
Speaking ahead of the exhibition, Professor Susan Pickard, Director of the Centre for Ageing and the Life Course said: “This exhibition is an important opportunity for women from two minority ethnic communities in Liverpool to share their little-known stories about menopause.
“The powerful and moving images and narratives will allow a richer understanding of menopause – seen as a meaningful embodied life experience not just a biological event – on the part of clinicians, local communities and women themselves.”
Learn more about the work taking place at the Centre for Ageing and the Life Course in this short video:
A private view for the exhibition will take place on Wednesday, 17 September at Blackburne House (Blackburn Place, Liverpool, L8 7PE) from 5pm until 7pm, with project participants in attendance. If you would like to find out more about the exhibition or attend the private view, please contact Dr Susan Waigwa at Susan.Waigwa@liverpool.ac.uk