"Women who aren’t supported in their health & wellbeing may look for a more supportive employer or leave the workforce entirely."
- Katharine Moxham, Spokesperson for GRiD
According to the latest research commissioned by Group Risk Development (GRiD), while women in the workplace tend to have concerns about their mental health earlier in life, physical health issues increase with age.
Only 5% of women aged 28 (Gen Z) or younger cited conditions such as cancer or heart disease as their primary health concern, rising to 16% amongst 29-44-year-olds (Millennials) and 17% for those aged 45 to 60 (Gen X).
However, this figure hit 21% amongst 61-79-year-olds (Baby Boomers) – this generation was also more concerned about long-term chronic health conditions than Gen Z (17% vs 10%).
In terms of mental health, almost a quarter (24%) of Gen Z were concerned about stress and anxiety related to work, compared to 7% of Baby Boomers. This trend didn’t continue with alternative types of stress and anxiety, but Millennials and Gen X were more concerned about financial and home-related stress than both Gen Z and Baby Boomers.
“Women are typically provided with lower-value benefits than men because of the gender pay gap. Employers can actively take steps to redress this balance by ensuring women in the workplace are supported and encouraged to make use of all the benefits available to them throughout their working lives,” explained Katharine Moxham, Spokesperson for GRiD.
She said: “Since we’re working longer, the differing needs of women at the start and end of their career is only going to continue. Employers who don’t provide appropriate employee benefits are jeopardising their productivity.
“Women who aren’t supported in their health & wellbeing may look for a more supportive employer or leave the workforce entirely – something that employers and the economy can ill-afford,” Katharine concluded.
