Meeri Ott

Meeri is a doctoral researcher for the project, aiming to advance critical theories of self-image and productivity by examining menopause-related cases among queer and crip communities in Finland and Estonia, including digital spaces. “Individualistic and neoliberal cultures often equate self-worth with productivity. So, what happens if you can’t or don’t want to be as productive as possible? I want to explore how menopause resonates with or challenges contemporary societal views of productivity and fulfilling life,” she talks about the inspiration behind her doctoral research.

Meeri holds a master’s degree in arts in Humanities (Folkloristics) and has previously worked with different Estonian cultural organisations. Her past work includes research on Estonian urban nightlife during the 2000s, as well as exploring personal narrative experiences of Tartu’s nightlife in the 2020s.  

Productivity and self-worth in menopause-related experiences: cases from Finland and Estonia, including digital spaces

The upcoming doctoral dissertation with a working title “Productivity and self-worth in menopause-related experiences: cases from Finland and Estonia, including digital spaces” aims to investigate the connections between societal assumptions about productivity, menopause-related experiences, and self-esteem – focusing specifically on queer and disabled communities in Finland and Estonia.

Neoliberal, individualistic cultures often measure person’s worth in direct proportion to their productivity and personal achievements. For some, menopause represents a departure from idealised norms of fertility, youth, and capability—norms that stem from ableist, sexist, ageist and heteronormative assumptions. Big portion of discussion and research about menopause strongly emphasises its medicalised and gendered framings.

Our project and I believe that menopausing is not a separate crisis or event, but rather an ongoing transition – it isn’t just an unpleasant phase in life and can offer opportunities even for self-acceptance and empowerment. I’m seeking to contribute critical theories of self-worth and productivity by examining the lived and embodied experiences of menopausing individuals. The dissertation will explore how menopause either resonates with or challenges contemporary societal assumptions of productivity and “successful” life. The research employs alternative and critical theories and understandings of productivity, grounded in intersectional feminism, as well as queer, critical disability and crip studies. Both queer theory and crip theory offer radical approaches to the concept of normalcy, revealing how the boundaries between sick and healthy, abnormal and normal, accepted and rejected are fluid and constantly shifting.

You can read more about the ongoing research from: