Yesterday we celebrated ‘International Women's Day’ (IWD). IWD is a global holiday celebrated annually on March 8 to commemorate the cultural, political, and socioeconomic achievements of women. It is also a focal point in the women's rights movement, bringing attention to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against women.
After celebrating International Women's Day, it is a good time to highlight why women’s health and wellbeing needs to be more of a priority for employers.
Women’s Health
Common conditions such as endometriosis which affects 1 in 10 women in the UK; the menopause; mental health conditions including post-natal depression and peri-menopausal anxiety and fertility issues are frequently unrecognised in the workplace and there is often a stigma around talking about female health issues despite the rising number of women in the workplace.
Figures from the Mental Health Foundation reveal that women are more than twice as likely to suffer from mental ill-health at work compared to men - possibly because of the demands on women from work and from home.
Additional Responsibilities
A new survey looking at household chores and gender supports a study led by Professor Anne McMunn (UCL Epidemiology & Health Care) finding that women do more housework than men in 93% of British households.
They found that compared to five years ago, the number of women earning most of the household’s income has increased by 30%, but the responsibility for household duties remains with women far more than with men. 45% of female breadwinners do most household tasks, versus 12% of male breadwinners. Male breadwinners are also twice as likely to do no household chores at all. The average female breadwinner spends an extra 7.5 hours, the equivalent of a working day, a week looking after the house – and that’s on top of their full-time job.
Women are also nearly three times more likely to have to take time off work to look after children, according to research by insurance agency AIG Life.
The study of 3,001 working adults showed that 74% of women are the main carer for children, taking short or long periods off work to look after family, compared with just 26% of men.
However, there were signs of changing attitudes among younger generations. More than half (51%) of men under 35 said they are the main carer for their children, compared with 73% of women aged under 35.
A more balanced picture was also uncovered when it came to caring for elderly relatives; 76% of women believe they will be the main carer for an elderly relative compared to 62% of men. However, the research also found that just 33% of women who take time out of the workplace to be a carer plan to return to full-time jobs, compared to 59% of men.
Work, Pay, and Promotions
In the UK women are more likely to be part-time workers, with 41% working part-time (compared to 7% of men working part-time) – and women are more likely than men to remain in low paid work over the long term, (government briefing paper Woman and the Economy), with less likelihood of promotion.
Women make up 47% of the UK workforce, yet very few occupy the highest positions in companies.
Analysis from Cranfield University, as part of its 20th FTSE Women on Boards Report, shows a sharp drop in the number of women occupying chief executive (CEO), chief financial officer (CFO) or other executive roles on FTSE 250 boards, and static numbers at FTSE 100 companies.
On FTSE 100 boards, the percentage of women in leadership positions is largely static at 9.7%. There are only 25 women holding executive roles at 22 companies.
Women are also paid less than men and the gap is widening. The pay gap reported as of 31 March 2021 was 13.1% at the mean, the current gender pay gap has increased by 1.5% since the last report in 2020 (Gov.UK).
Here are some top tips on how employers can help:
Remember women have a unique set of health and wellbeing requirements and a one size fits all approach is unlikely to help.
Review existing policies and processes – around sickness, maternity leave, flexible working, and health and safety to ensure that women’s needs are considered.
Train and educate line managers to enable them to have supportive conversations and ensure women can raise and discuss health and wellbeing concerns.
Train mental health first aiders to spot potential issues.
Providing more opportunities for people to talk. Everyone can suffer from mental ill-health, so talking about it in bulletins, newsletters or through initiatives like the Mental Health Awareness week, can help reduce the anxiety or shame that some people feel about raising these topics.
Provide equal pay – while this may not happen overnight, where gender pay gaps have been identified, a clear action plan is required to redress the balance
Provide healthcare information covering women’s health issues and the treatments available.
Provide access to a GP or other health service so people can talk about their issues with a trained professional.
Ask female employees what healthcare support and benefits they would like.
Executive Science can help you develop a wellbeing program that understands that each organisation and individual is unique. Our personalised approach respects an organisation’s challenges, culture, people, and aspirations.
Executive Science works with some leading professionals in behavioural change, coaching, and wellbeing, to deliver a comprehensive service, that utilises the latest wellbeing research and best practice to provide a bespoke service for all our clients.
If you would like more information and/or a free organisational consultation, contact David on +44 (0) 208 531 7834 or email sales@executivescience.co.uk
