The war for talent and the exodus of women from the workforce during the pandemic has created an imperative for employers to attract and retain female talent. Employers’ early efforts in women’s health were focused on healthy pregnancy and fertility benefits due to their impact on healthcare costs. However, due to the diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility and belonging (DEIAB) efforts of recent years, more employers have started assessing women’s needs across their lifespans. This has resulted in 81% of employers now implementing at least one strategy to address health inequities in women’s and reproductive health.¹

What Should Employers Know?

• 1 in 8 women will develop invasive breast cancer at some point in their lifetime.²
• 66% of caregivers in the U.S. are women.³ A quarter (25%) of caregivers report an impact of caregiving on work productivity, especially related to presenteeism. Caregivers are twice as likely to develop chronic illness.⁴
• 1 in 5 heterosexual women in the U.S. are unable to get pregnant after one year of trying (infertility).⁵ In-vitro fertilization can cost $20-26K per cycle.⁶
• 33% Almost a third of today’s workforce is comprised of menopause-aged women.⁷ Of those experiencing menopause, 20% have quit or considered leaving a job due to their menopause symptoms, while 40% have reported that their work performance and productivity are negatively impacted.⁸

Resources

• The Importance of Mammography
• Menopause – The Next Frontier in Employee Benefits

¹ Business Group on Health: 2023 Large Employer Healthcare Survey.
² Cancer.gov: Breast Cancer Fact Sheet.
³ Women and Caregiving.
⁴ Johns Hopkins: Examining Caregiving-related Work Productivity Loss Among Employed Family Caregivers Of Older Adults.
⁵ CDC: Reproductive Health and Infertility.
⁶ FertilityIQ: IUI or “Artificial Insemination”.
⁷ The Commonwealth Fund.
⁸ Biote: Women in the Workplace Survey

What Can Employers Do?

Support from Leadership

• Re-design the physical workplace to support women and working parents
• Review policies affecting women in the workforce
• Listen to women’s needs at your company and take action to recognize and compensate them equitably

Foster an Inclusive Culture for Women

• Reduce the stigma surrounding women’s health
• Organize women’s health and well-being training and activities
• Fund unconscious-bias training for team leaders

Engage Employees

• Cultivate a space for women to voice their work needs through Employee Resource Groups
• Promote women’s health resources and education
• Conduct employee engagement surveys to highlight areas of improvement

Offer Innovative Benefits

• Establish mental and personal health days
• Provide support for fertility treatment and miscarriages
• Offer emergency backup childcare services and subsidies

Disparities in Women’s Health

• In the U.S., Black women are less likely to receive prenatal care and have two to three times the maternal mortality as white women.^1,2 Additionally, Black women have a higher prevalence of high blood pressure and obesity compared to non-Hispanic white women.²
• One in five women do not have a primary care provider. This number varies based on races/ethnicities:³
  • 33% of Hispanic women
  • 26% of American Indian/Alaska Native women
• Only 54% of lower-income women have received a recent mammogram compared to higher-income women.⁴

¹ Kaiser Family Foundation: Women’s Coverage, Access and Affordability: Key Findings from the 2017 Kaiser Women’s Health Survey.
² Chinn JJ, Martin IK, Redmond N: Health Equity Among Black Women in the United States.
³ Women Who Report Having No Personal Doctor/Health Care Provider by Race/Ethnicity.
⁴ Why Even Healthy Low-Income People Have Greater Health Risks Than Higher-Income People.

Employee Benefits Team