5 ways to Improve Women's Health at Work
The health requirements of women and men are different. Yet, historically, this fact has been overlooked and ignored – especially in the workplace.
Women's health refers to the diagnosis of diseases and conditions that affect a woman's physical and emotional well-being.
Looking at the workplace, more than 66% of women in Europe are active in the labour force, and by this day, specific health provisions for women do not adequately exist. You might wonder, why should we focus on this?
Let’s talk about biological differences
Women have 6 health “conditions and items” that men don’t have. Now you might be aware of all of these, and for today, I’d like to look at some interesting facts about how these affect women at at work – in one way or another.
The Period: from the first cycle to menopause, women have around 450 periods in a lifetime, which equates to around 10 years or 3500 days of the average life a woman is menstruating. Women are menstruating about 10-12 times per year while being at work and about 40% of all people who have a period suffer from severe pain and other symptoms every month.
Fertility & Conception: The woman’s fertile life can be divided into 5 stages, from which the second stage, which is about 7 years after your first menstruation is the most fertile stage which lasts until 28 years old, and afterward, fertility drops at little by little until the last phase that ends around age 42. Nowadays, many women choose careers first and then want children. By starting later, their fertility is lower and it might be harder to conceive.
Childbirth: In 6 EU Member States, the average mean of women at birth of their first child was over 30 years. With a mean age of 29.8 years, women in Germany were placed in the top third in an EU comparison. Related to fertility and conception. Women feel that they first need to focus on work before having children, or else it will affect their careers. Career is a strong decision pillar to not have children.
Nursing: Between 56% and 97% of infants in the EU receive any human milk. Even though nursing is being promoted in every country, within the EU exclusive breastfeeding drops significantly between months 1-3, which relates to women's need to go back to work. Nursing isn’t convenient when women need to work full-time and they’ll choose different milk options. In countries where women can stay longer on parental leave, the number of nurses is higher.
Menopause: According to research, nearly 8 out of 10 of menopausal women are in work and 3 out of 4 women experience symptoms, 1 in 4 could experience serious symptoms. One in three women who work will soon be over 50. There are currently many women in the workforce who are dealing with menopause symptoms and the number will only increase.
Mental health: Even though not everyone will say that Mental health is a female health topic, I do want to emphasize how important this topic is and how many women are affected by it. 15% of women who give birth suffer from postpartum depression and an estimated 20% of women who suffer from menopause depression, are also be part of our workforce.
Workforce shaped by men for men. Next to biological facts, there's also another factor that plays a big role in ignorance of women's health support at work. One of them being the following. Men shaped the workplace as they have dominated the workforce for a century and still do. We still find gender gaps across the corporate ladder – especially for women of color. So it’s not strange that the current system isn’t built to nurture female health, because until now, men didn’t need to care for it as they have created a system that works successfully for them.
Another factor is the stigma on women's health. Myths, misconceptions, and misinformation about periods & menopause feed into stigma which can be hugely damaging for many girls, women, and people around the world. Historically, these misconceptions have existed for centuries, and different countries have different views on it. Negative taboos condition us to understand female health as something to be hidden, something shameful. And by not naming a thing, we reinforce the idea that the thing should not be named.
Girls grow up to believe that periods are “not fresh, or even gross”, and keep this topic silent.
Men rather not talk about these topics at all, and find it even inappropriate for women in the workplace to open up about it.
Society lacks proper education about female health such as period and menopause. For example, most women don’t know what peri-menopause and menopause are until it happens to them or they seek treatment.
To sum-up the first chapter:
Biological differences are a fact
The workplace was shaped by ánd for men over the past century
We all contribute to making female health an uncomfortable topic to speak about
5 ways to improve women's health at work
Accept & embrace our bodies: With half the population being women, let’s acknowledge and embrace who we are and how our body functions. We, women, need to reshape our own perception of how we view ourselves, step up as ourselves, and take the lead in embracing what mother nature has gifted us.
Safe space for open dialogue: To break the stigma around women’s health, having open conversations is essential. Women should feel safe in talking about their female health, men should about women’s health requirements to become better help as co-workers, managers, or leaders. TIP: Create sessions on female wellness issues, which are open for all to attend.
Policies & Benefits for her: If you want to build an inclusive culture, make sure to do inclusive research about your team first. With the collected data, you can shape policies & benefits towards women’s needs. Don’t be afraid to have different benefits for different genders, you’re being inclusive! TIP: Launch a specific survey about female health/needs at your company for women only to collect data.
Educate and Coach leaders and investors: Until now, the workforce has been shaped by men, for men. It’s important to educate and coach founders, executives, leaders and investors. 1. Show sufficient data (gathered internally & externally) and 2. Have honest conversations – don’t stop after one session and find sponsors to support you. TIP: Data will support your case, and luckily, more research is now available on female health in the workplace.
Strategic support: Women need proactive networks of leaders and peers (all genders) who will develop, promote, and champion them at home and in the workplace. These networks start with yourself. How can you support others? Your company offers a strong network of like-minded people, activate it! TIP: To connect women (and people in general) with leaders and peers, activate a buddy or mentor program
As you have read all this information, I want you to take a moment to reflect on female health and how it relates to you. Then, answer the following question:
What is the first thing you like to change when it comes to female health at your work? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!
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best,
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