How can employers close the gender health gap?

Despite the progress made in recent years, a significant gender gap still persists in the workplace - and it's not just about pay and career advancement. Some believe the gender health gap is an equally pressing issue that requires urgent attention from employers.

Swati Matta, head of women’s health at Dialogue, argues that employer-funded virtual care services play a key role in helping women get the support they need. She highlights a recent McKinsey study that found 20 per cent of women live in poor health, despite women living longer than men. “Historically, there has been a lack of investment in women's health, and it's why we feel as women, that we don't have the support we deserve, leading a lot of us to make unfair decisions,” she says.

Additionally, a recent report by Sun Life highlights that 29 per cent of working women feel they need to hide the real reasons for their sick days from their managers when those absences were due to women’s health issues. Meanwhile, almost 50 per cent reported making career-limiting choices due to health-related issues or the need to care for their family.

Matta believes this disparity has far-reaching consequences, both for individual women and for businesses as a whole. As such, employers have a crucial role to play. She asserts that an integrated, employer-funded virtual care solution can be a "compelling" way to support women's health and wellbeing.

"We believe an integrated platform that provides navigational support, evidence-based education, and access to sex or gender-responsive care for women across various stages of life can be a really compelling solution that employers can offer," she explains.

With only 37 per cent of women who think their employers provide sufficient resources and support for women’s health, this begs the question: what can organizations do to decrease the gender health gap?

Matta asserts that fostering an empathetic work environment that promotes learning and understanding about women's health issues should be top priority. This includes not just the cultural aspects, but also the physical work environment.

"We still have a long way to go. We really need to make sure that any solution [employers] offer is not just solving one piece of the puzzle, but really supporting all women. Environment plays a big role in ensuring there's progress made,” says Matta.

Education is another critical step in eliminating the stigma surrounding women's health in the workplace. Matta points to Dialogue's recent acquisition of Koble, which has allowed the company to incorporate educational resources within its platform and is accessible to all employees who engage in Dialogue’s health services.

"These resources are available to all employees. Women, their peers, their support networks and their partners all have access to this education, which will ultimately help us reduce that stigma in the workplace while making sure that women are thinking more proactively and preventatively about their health and wellbeing,” says Matta.

Accessibility and access to quality healthcare providers and trusted medical advice is another key factor. After all, Matta acknowledges that medical dismissal is one of the top concerns for women when seeking care, underscoring the need for safe, reliable access.

“When [women] go to see providers, they build up the courage to share and ask for solutions or care, and then they're dismissed,” says Matta. “Ensuring that through virtual care, women in the workplace have access to the safe access to quality providers is as important as making sure that they're educated and aware."

As more organizations recognize that employer-funded virtual health solutions can play a "massive role" in closing the gender health gap, Matta asserts, the momentum for change is building. "I'm really encouraged to see that employers and organizations are starting to care about investing in women's health,” she says. “We're in an era of virtual care where there are solutions available, and I'm very encouraged by that.”