According to a recent study, employers need to do a better job of recognizing and supporting the different physical and mental needs that women have throughout their career.
GRiD (the industry body for group risk) has released its analysis ahead of International Women’s Day on 8 March.
The charity Versus Arthritis urges employers to pay more attention to what it calls ‘the gender gap’ in pain, particularly when it comes to musculoskeletal conditions like arthritis.
GRiD argues, based on a survey of 1,250 adults employed earlier this year, that employers should be cautious about providing benefits to their female employees in a one-size fits all manner, since their health concerns are often quite specific.
The report said that while concerns over physical wellness of female employees increase with age but issues related to mental wellbeing peak earlier in life.
In response to a question about their greatest health concerns, 21% female baby-boomers cited serious ill-health such as heart disease or cancer. This number dropped to 17% among Gen X, 16% among millennials, and 5% among Gen Z.
In the same way, 17% of women in baby-boomer generation were concerned about ‘living long-term with chronic illness.’ This dropped to 10% for Gen Z.
When asked about their mental health, only 7% of baby-boomer female employees expressed concern about work-related stress and anxiety. This increased to 8% for Gen X, 14% for millennial women and 24% for Gen Z.
The research showed that stress and anxiety related to finances and family life are more prevalent in midlife among female millennials, Gen X and Baby-boomer woman, while Gen Z and Gen X women are less affected.
There is a direct correlation between women’s age and their concern for physical health. However, mental health concerns are at their peak during the middle years of working life. GRiD said that as women’s concerns change with age, they need support at different ages.
Katharine Moxham said, “Women receive lower-value benefits because of the gender gap.” Employers can take active steps to correct this imbalance by making sure their female employees receive full support and are encouraged to use all of the benefits they have available throughout their working life.
Research shows that women tend to be more likely than men to feel their pain is ignored or dismissed.
The report State of Musculoskeletal Health for 2024 shows that women experience chronic pain at a higher rate than men, with 38% of women experiencing chronic pain as opposed to 30% of males.
Women are more likely to suffer from chronic pain with high impact than men. The charity says that women are often not listened when they talk about their pain.
The report also highlights research from the pharmaceutical brand Nurofen, whose Gender Pain Gap Index Report found that 81% women aged 18-24 said they had their pain dismissed or ignored as compared to 73% men of similar age.
Nearly one-fourth of women who said they felt their pain was dismissed or ignored, as opposed to one-sixth of men, reported that no one took it seriously.
According to Professor Lucy Donaldson of Versus Arthritis, the director of research and health information, “musculoskeletal pain” is the most common type of pain for women in the UK.
Women are more likely than men to suffer from severe musculoskeletal problems, and are more likely than men to seek treatment. Research shows that women’s voices, because of their gender, are often not heard, are diminished, and are dismissed.
She added that this can lead to women wasting years and suffering worse outcomes because they are unable to receive the correct diagnosis and treatment.
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