“I have been told to handle my stress or adjust my diet, get more sleep, as though I was choosing to complain about problems I caused,” the 37-year-old professional services employee said. “I would rather save my time and energy and emotional well-being than be dismissed, ignored, and condescended to.”
These frank words from a respondent to Progyny’s new Women in the Workplace Benchmark Survey, conducted in partnership with Dynata, reveal an important truth about women’s health benefits. Data from over 1,200 working women and 250 HR leaders shows a critical gap between what women need and what their employers offer.
In other words, it’s not enough to simply offer a women’s health benefit. The benefit needs to be designed with intention to ensure it’s useful, supportive, and effective — reaching women to help them address their experiences along the full continuum of women’s health, not just through fertility and childbearing. With the right approach, women experience more support and access care far sooner, resulting in decreased healthcare costs.
Key findings about the status quo
The Women in the Workforce Benchmark report highlights a clear disconnect between what women want and need in terms of healthcare and what they’re getting. 77% of working women have been diagnosed with one or more medical conditions, including autoimmune diseases, infertility, endometriosis, PCOS, pelvic floor issues, perimenopause and menopause, and mental health conditions. And yet:
- Those who do pursue treatment typically wait more than six months before seeking medical care
- 43% say cost concerns are a barrier to getting the help they need, and only 52% believe their benefits make healthcare affordable
- Over one-third are discouraged by the wait time to get an appointment
- One in four delay treatment because they have felt dismissed or ignored by a provider
Meanwhile, 81% of benefit managers say their company is interested in or committed to improving women’s health and well-being, with 69% saying women’s health benefits are extremely important to their strategy of attracting and retaining younger employees. The gap between intention and how many women feel is hard to ignore.
What does this mean for you?
With healthcare costs expected to rise significantly, HR leaders are analyzing their benefit programs to ensure engagement, clinical impact, and cost-control. A centralized benefit targeted at women’s health – one of the areas that most impacts healthcare expenses, productivity loss, and attrition – is now more strategically valuable than ever.
So, what’s the next step?
Curious about how your women’s health benefit stacks up? Download the full Women in the Workforce Benchmark report to take the next step and explore two clear ways for employers to better meet their employees’ needs, while mitigating healthcare costs.