Although women typically live longer than men, they often experience a greater number of health challenges as they grow older. Yet around the world, millions of women at all stages of life still struggle to access the healthcare, treatment, and support they need.
Despite the efforts made towards improvement over the last three decades, there are still significant global health disparities between the genders. According to a report by the World Economic Forum and McKinsey Health Institute, women spend 25% more of their lives in poor health. This gap – called the gender health gap – has profound consequences and is especially impactful in the workplace, where a large portion of women’s health challenges occur. It affects not only their physical and mental health but also their overall wellbeing, productivity, and long-term career progression.
The need for stronger action to close the gender health gap and achieve gender health parity is evident. Providing better support for women facing health challenges will greatly benefit not only employees but also overall business performance.
Understanding the gender health gap
The gender health gap relates to the differences in healthcare access, treatment, and results between men and women. Simply put, it happens when women do not receive the same level and quality of healthcare that men do, often resulting in different health experiences and outcomes.
What’s more, women’s health has long been an underfunded and overlooked area in global research. Shockingly, McKinsey’s findings reveal that only less than 2% of healthcare research and innovation is invested in female-specific conditions. The lack of data leads to further health inequalities and a higher risk of misdiagnosis for women.
Gender health gap in the workplace
According to McKinsey, the majority of the health gap impacts women during their working years, between the ages of 20 and 60, rather than in later life. This data highlights a significant issue and employers play an important role in narrowing this gap. Because if women can’t access healthcare, receive inadequate treatment, or aren’t taken seriously, they are more likely to be off sick, ill for longer, or in pain, affecting their ability to work.
Women have been long silently navigating conditions such as menopause and perimenopause, endometriosis, PCOS and the symptoms associated with periods. They are also disproportionately affected by mental health issues, with women being twice as prone to depression and anxiety. Pregnancy-related illnesses and complications can further impact women’s ability to stay in the workforce, especially when employers fail to provide adequate maternity leave or flexible working arrangements.
Frequent sick leave, lower productivity, mental health issues, and burnout all have obvious negative impacts on employees but they also hinder business performance. Therefore, it is in the company’s best interest to support female employees in managing their health challenges to ensure that the team can perform to the best of their abilities, driving better results.
How to narrow the gender health gap?
There are three key areas that need to be addressed so organisations are better prepared to protect women’s health at work: education on the impact of women’s conditions, increasing psychological safety so those suffering feel comfortable speaking up, and a flexible, personalised policy framework that gives women accessible support.
Common misconceptions about women’s health conditions, coupled with a lack of education, have led to the continued misunderstanding and neglect of these issues. Hence, it is essential to educate the whole workforce, raising the level of awareness and empathy (not sympathy) for the diverse and complex symptoms women experience. This understanding is critical to recognising how these health challenges can impact wellbeing and performance.
When employees do not feel that they can speak openly with a manager or leadership team, the workplace environment does not provide psychological safety. The traditionally taboo nature of women’s health conditions that is rooted in centuries of misconceptions and misogyny has left a legacy of shame that prevents women from speaking openly about their struggles. To tackle this, leaders must not only make themselves available during regular office hours, for employees to come and have conversations in private, but they also need to respond with curiosity and empathy to allow employees to feel safe about being open and heard. Leaders are not expected to know all the answers when it comes to health and wellbeing, but demonstrating care and signposting to available support is a fundamental duty.
Also crucial is moving away from a one-size-fits-all approach to health and wellbeing. A key step to narrowing the gender health gap is to create a truly inclusive policy that addresses women’s health directly and properly reflects the diverse needs of the workforce. This means offering targeted support in areas like menopause, menstrual health, pregnancy, and maternity, ensuring women have the help they need throughout different stages of life.
The time has come for organisations to invest in the health of their employees, ensuring that gender health disparities no longer hinder the potential of women in the workplace.
Lesley Cooper is Founder and CEO of WorkingWell.
Lesley Cooper is a management consultant with over 25 years of experience in the design and delivery of employee wellbeing management. Her expertise spans women's health in the workplace, workplace wellbeing strategy, and supporting leaders in creating inclusive working environments. Cooper has authored articles for HRreview on topics including how business leaders can support women's health, addressing gender health gaps, and achieving work-life balance. Her work demonstrates a focus on helping organisations understand and implement comprehensive wellbeing strategies that benefit all employees.
