Randhawa, Tanveer2025-07-162025-07-162025-07-162025-07-08https://hdl.handle.net/10012/22001Background: Menopause, despite being a pivotal stage in a woman’s life, is not a uniform experience. For immigrant Punjabi women, it is shaped by challenges influenced by their socio-cultural backgrounds, beliefs and social norms (Zou et al., 2023). In addition to the complexities introduced by migration, language barriers, social marginalization, and a lack of culturally relevant healthcare services often contribute to unmet needs of immigrant Punjabi women. While existing literature highlights how menopause is shaped by cultural and social factors, the experiences of South Asian immigrant women – particularly Punjabi women in Canada – remain unexplored. This study seeks to address this gap by exploring the beliefs, perceptions, and lived experiences of menopause among immigrant Punjabi women in the Peel Region, with the goal of informing how cultural humility and tailored healthcare approaches can enhance menopausal care for this population. Research Questions: What are the beliefs and perceptions of immigrant Punjabi women in the Peel Region regarding menopause, and how do these shape their lived experiences of this transition? How do cultural practices, social norms, and immigration experiences influence the perceptions and management of menopause? What insights from their experiences can inform culturally responsive practices to better address their needs? Methods: This qualitative study employed a Constructivist Grounded Theory (CGT) methodology to explore the experiences of menopause among immigrant Punjabi women aged 35 and older who have lived in the Peel Region for at least five years. Thirteen semi-structured interviews were conducted in either English or Punjabi, depending on participant preference, to ensure linguistic and cultural comfort. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and translated by the researcher to preserve cultural nuance. Data were analyzed inductively through the CGT process of initial coding, focused coding, and axial coding, allowing themes, and analytical categories, to emerge from participants’ narratives. Reflexivity and attention to positionality were prioritized throughout, recognizing the co-constructed nature of meaning between the researcher and participants. Findings: Three interconnected core themes emerged from the data: (1) Silenced and Stigmatized: Cultural Taboos and Lack of Menopause Education, (2) Navigating Menopause in Isolation: Gender Roles, Migration, and Social Expectations, and (3) Seeking Support and Self-Advocacy: Pathways to Empowerment and Care. Participants described menopause as a topic shrouded in silence, often associated with shame and misinformation in their upbringing. Many women felt unprepared and unsupported, facing the transition in isolation while juggling familial responsibilities, caregiving roles, and the pressures of migration. However, some participants emphasized the importance of informal peer networks and expressed a desire for culturally safe, linguistically appropriate, and holistic care. These narratives reflected a tension between traditional cultural expectations and the evolving understanding of health and aging in a new socio-cultural context. Conclusions: This study provides an in-depth, intersectional understanding of how immigrant Punjabi women experience menopause within the complex contexts of culture, gender, and migration. The findings underscore the urgent need for culturally responsive healthcare services that acknowledge the social realities and cultural frameworks of immigrant communities. By promoting cultural humility among healthcare providers and engaging in community-informed education initiatives, it is possible to reduce stigma, improve early intervention, and support immigrant women in navigating menopause with dignity and agency. This research contributes to the broader discourse on reproductive aging and equity in healthcare by centering the voices of a marginalized population whose experiences have been largely overlooked.enmenopauseSouth AsianPunjabiimmigrantConstructivist Grounded Theorylived experiencesthoughtsperceptionscultural humilityGreater Toronto AreaPeel RegionExploring Menopause Through a Cultural Lens: Beliefs, Perceptions, and Experiences of Immigrant Punjabi Women in the Peel RegionMaster Thesis