{"id":815,"date":"2026-03-25T13:52:31","date_gmt":"2026-03-25T11:52:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.uef.fi\/menopausing\/?page_id=815"},"modified":"2026-03-25T13:59:42","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T11:59:42","slug":"who-cares","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.uef.fi\/menopausing\/flash-ethnographies\/who-cares\/","title":{"rendered":"Who Cares About the Wellbeing of Middle-Aged Women?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Menopause in the Facebook News Feed<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

by Katja Laakkonen<\/a>, 25.3.2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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At the Social and Public Policy Winter School<\/a> of the University of Eastern Finland, held on 18\u201319 March 2026, we delivered a conference presentation examining the meaning structures of sponsored menopause-related content circulating in social media<\/strong>. The analysis focused on 20 pieces of sponsored material targeted at middle-aged women in Facebook\u2019s news feed, approached through the lens of critical discourse analysis. The presentation was held in Finnish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The presentation was built around an article in progress (Laakkonen et al.), which explores the contemporary meaning structures of menopause-related advertising in the Finnish media landscape<\/strong>. The starting point was the observation that today\u2019s menopausal women constitute a more highly educated and economically stronger consumer group than previous generations, with life rhythms and time use shaped by the conditions of a service-oriented society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The presentation highlighted how media content aimed at middle-aged women constructs strong ideas around self-care, body modification and individual responsibility for one\u2019s own health. Sponsored content \u2013 including messages promoting exercise, weight loss, natural supplements and the datafication of health \u2013 encourages women to position themselves primarily as consumers seeking solutions on private markets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the discussion following the presentation, the theme of activism emerged: middle-aged women are expected to find out about their health, wellbeing and treatment options independently. This raised a central question: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who is actually interested in the wellbeing of middle-aged women?<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

The conclusion was that the wellbeing of menopausal women does not appear to interest the welfare state<\/strong> to the extent one might assume. Public services tailored to this age group are limited, and as a result, responsibility for support and information has increasingly shifted to individuals and to the broader \u201cwelfare society\u201d. In practice, this means that the private sector and capitalist market logic play an ever-stronger role in determining what kinds of solutions and services are offered to women. Sponsored content not only responds to existing needs but also actively shapes and produces them \u2013 in a context where public structures are steadily withdrawing into the background.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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