“Swallowed by a Black Hole”: The Neglected Impact of Endometriosis in the Workplace

Meltem Yavuz, Özlem Ayaz Arda
In: Human Resource Management Journal · 2026 · doi:10.1111/1748-8583.70056 · W7167643064
Qualitative OA: hybrid CC0
🔓 Open OA copy View on OpenAlex View at publisher
⚙ AI-generated summary by gemini-2.5-flash-lite, 2026-07-16 ⓘ

This qualitative study, drawing on Feminist Disability Theory, identifies systemic neglect within workplace practices that marginalize endometriosis and proposes "physiodiversity" as a framework for managing chronic physiological variations.

One-sentence paraphrase of the abstract; not a substitute for reading it. No clinical advice. How this works

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study examines how endometriosis, as a chronic and cyclical condition, is experienced and managed in contemporary workplaces, and what this reveals about the limits of existing human resource management (HRM) frameworks. Drawing on Feminist Disability Theory (FDT), we conceptualise endometriosis as a form of structurally produced disadvantage shaped by organisational norms of continuous, able‐bodied productivity. The study is based on qualitative data from in‐depth interviews ( n = 26) and a focus group ( n = 7) with employees diagnosed with endometriosis, complemented by open‐ended survey responses from HR professionals and managers ( n = 80) used as contextual insight. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Findings identify six interrelated themes that show how workplace practices render endometriosis both invisible and consequential. Extending FDT, we theorise these patterns as systemic neglect, specifying the organisational mechanisms through which marginalisation is enacted, including rigid absence systems, performance‐based objectification, and cultures of silence around reproductive health. We further introduce the concept of physiodiversity, reframing chronic and cyclical physiological variation as a legitimate dimension of workforce diversity. The study contributes to HRM scholarship by specifying how able‐bodied norms are operationalised in practice and by offering a conceptual foundation for more inclusive approaches to managing chronic health conditions at work.

My notes (saved in your browser only)

Citation neighborhood (2-hop)

Papers in the corpus that this work cites (lower rings, blue) and that cite this one (upper rings, green). Dot size scales with the paper's in-corpus citation count — bigger dot = more influential within the endo/adeno field. Click a dot to open that paper. Outer rings show 2-hop neighbours — papers reached through the immediate citers/citees. [ collapse to 1-hop ]

References (50)

Source provenance

openalex
last seen: 2026-10-06T06:07:52.081803+00:00
License: CC0 · commercial use OK