Briefing | Helping women thrive in work: Making women's and reproductive health a key priority

Neglecting women’s health costs the UK economy 

Compelling evidence showing how a lack of focus on women’s and reproductive health within UK national policy and workplaces is holding back not only women workers but the nation’s economy.  

The UK has the largest female health gap in the G20 and the 12th largest globally. The NHS Confederation report, Women’s Health Economics: investing in the 51%, highlights the significant economic impact of neglecting women’s health. For example, inadequate support for conditions like menopause, endometriosis, and severe period pain costs the UK economy nearly £11 billion annually due to absenteeism and reduced productivity.  

Boost productivity and reduce the gender pay gap 

Women make up nearly half the UK labour market and their economic participation is key to our country’s productivity, but their employment rate is lower than men’s and the gender pay gap persists at 7%. 

Opening up work and opportunities for women is good for the economy and good for business.  

Women’s health is an integral part of the gender equality agenda and aligns with the UK Government’s priority of creating good and fair work.  

The risks to employers of not acting on women’s health include: 

• higher sickness absence 
• lower engagement and performance 
• increased staff turnover 
• reduced productivity.

Worsening health inequalities 

Disparities in health outcomes extend beyond sexual and reproductive health. For example, race plays a critical role in the inequality of health outcomes for women. The MBRRACE-UK report, Lessons learned to inform maternity care from the UK and Ireland Confidential Enquiries into Maternal Deaths and Morbidity 2020-22, reveals that black women are almost four times more likely to die in pregnancy and childbirth compared to white women, while Asian women face nearly twice the risk. Additionally, disabled women experience more problems accessing healthcare and screening than able-bodied women.¹  

Careers held back  

Most workplaces lack focus on female and reproductive health issues, which has a significant impact on the ability of many women to progress their careers and fulfill their potential. For example, CIPD research finds that with: 

• menstruation and menstrual health: more than two-thirds of working women experience a negative impact at work due to menstruation symptoms with 12% reporting a negative impact on their career. Almost one in 10 have either left or considered leaving their jobs. 

• menopause transition: almost three-quarters of working women aged 40 to 60 have experienced symptoms, of whom 67% say have had a mostly negative impact on them at work. Employers are losing around one in six people due to a lack of support. 

• fertility challenges or treatment: just three in 10 employees (30%) said they felt very or quite supported at work by their employer while having fertility challenges, investigations or treatment; one in five said they have considered leaving their job as a result.  

• pregnancy and baby loss: almost a quarter of employees (24%) have considered leaving their job due to a lack of employer support.  

Women who have dropped out of work due to health or reproductive issues and would like to return to the workplace but need advice on this process rarely have access to occupational health services (which can provide critical advice on work adjustments necessary to help people stay in work) as this is not offered by the NHS. 

Recent and future progress 

There has been encouraging progress on aspects of the women’s health agenda and we can build on the success of creating more menopause-friendly workplaces. The increased parliamentary and media focus on the issue shows just how quickly change can happen if there is sustained action and strong collaboration. Six years ago, CIPD research showed that less than one in 10 organisations had any kind of support for menopause transition and now nearly half do.   

There are many examples of organisations that recognise the need to provide supportive people policies and occupational health provision for employees affected by these issues. One such employer is Willmott Dixon, one of the largest privately owned construction companies in the UK. We had the pleasure of hearing from its CEO Rick Lee, OBE, at our Parliament event.

Working in a predominantly male sector such as construction, the company has an ambitious aim of becoming gender balanced by 2030. A strong focus on women’s and reproductive health support underpins that aim and Lee talked about two key areas where the company has been building workplace support – menopause and bereavement leave for pregnancy and baby loss. He also spoke of the importance of male allies of change and, as a member of the Women’s Business Council, called on the government and employers to work together to ensure the full economic participation of women at work.  

Making a difference through support 

In terms of individual impact, it’s clear that supportive people management and occupational health advice can make a considerable difference to how someone balances the demands of their job with the potential physical, mental and emotional impacts of women’s health issues. CIPD research on women’s health issues demonstrates the tangible impact across a number of dimensions.  

For example, employees experiencing menopause symptoms are five times more likely to have left work if they don’t have support from their manager or employer. Conversely, in relation to pregnancy and baby loss, around six in 10 employees reported that support from their employer had had a positive impact on their mental wellbeing, their ability to perform in their job, their commitment to their employer and their intention to stay with their employer. 

A call for government action 

The CIPD and SOM are working together to help bridge the gap in workplace support for women’s and reproductive health. We will achieve this by building on the practical and expert guidance we have developed to help people professionals, occupational health specialists and line managers put effective support in place. We are also keen to work with the many expert organisations and partners who are committed to this agenda.  

The appointment of a Women’s Health Ambassador for England and a new Government Menopause Employment Ambassador help to give this agenda the high profile it needs. The Make Work Pay plan includes regulatory action to address gender equality, including supporting employees through the menopause, and hopefully an amendment by Sarah Owen MP to the Employment Rights Bill will herald the first statutory right to bereavement leave for miscarriage before 24 weeks in the UK.  

But we need more ambitious change at a public policy level. Therefore the CIPD and SOM are together calling for: 

1. The UK Government to launch a review of women’s and reproductive health in the workplace to identify the economic opportunities for strengthening support, guidance and enforcement of current regulations, followed by an action plan. 
2. A high-profile campaign to motivate and give confidence to employers to develop working environments that provide understanding, flexibility and occupational health support for women’s health issues across the life course. 
3. Wider access to occupational health services for those in and out of work to support people to remain in, or return to, appropriate work in which they can manage their health conditions.