Women’s Health at Work: An Overview

Women’s workforce participation has changed dramatically in the last 100 years in the UK and beyond. There have been many elements to this, from the impact of World War I and World War II, to medical advances in contraception, to cultural changes and legal change around Equal Pay and Sex Discrimination. 

Evidence suggests that a diverse workforce is a more productive workforce. And recruitment and retention of women is one aspect of this. To excel at supporting women at work, organisations must deliver working conditions in which women can thrive. There are many reasons why there are shortfalls in women’s health policies in workplaces, including the way the makeup of the workforce has changed over time, and inadequate investment in women’s health services more generally. But forward thinking companies stand out in their understanding of women’s health and why it matters to their business. 

In the course of a woman’s working age, some of the things a woman may experience include:

• Menstrual periods 

• Gynaecological conditions such as endometriosis or polycystic ovary syndrome 

• Contraception 

• Conception 

• Pregnancy 

• Termination of pregnancy 

• Postpartum period 

• Breast feeding 

• Menopause 

• Gynaecological cancer

• Breast cancer 

Importantly, some of these are also relevant to men’s health, for example, conception and breast cancer. 

Women’s health is far from homogenous. Each woman’s journey through life and work is different, and there is a wide range of symptoms and management options within any one of these women’s health topics. Even when women are fortunate not to experience ill health, their physiology may still impact their function at work. 

Women’s health at work policies 

Women’s health at work policies are a good starting point. Women’s health policies enable the individual to come forward and have a landing place for support. It is useful for managers and organisations to have a point of reference when it comes to navigating women’s health issues at work. Some more comprehensive policies may enable local end to end management of some straightforward women’s health presentations.

For example, an organisation may have a policy in place around women being able to attend national cancer screening programmes during the working day, and how this time is accounted for ( e.g. as paid leave, unpaid leave or time off in lieu). However, if a woman does have a cancer detected on screening, then it is unlikely organisational women’s health policies can meet all the potential variables on that woman’s health journey, and how this could impact work, from diagnostics, to treatment, to symptoms and side effects of treatment. In order to be able to meet the needs of women in the workplace, organisational policies leverage occupational health expertise. 

Occupational health input for women’s health at work 

Because of the range of women’s health presentations, rigid women’s health at work policies are unlikely to meet the needs of all women in an organisation’s workforce. For example, some women experience limited symptoms around their menstrual period. Other women can experience debilitating pain and bleeding that is difficult to manage. Needless to say, discussing any of this between employees and managers may not feel appropriate. 

What is helpful for both organisations and employees is to:

1- Recognise the need for additional support when a woman’s health issue is impacting work

2- Have an established a route to support

3- Make clinical, occupational, confidential expertise available 

The Equality Act 2010 and Women’s Health at Work 

The definition of disability under the Equality Act 2010 is not limited to a list of conditions, rather focuses on the impact of an impairment and the duration of this impact. As a result, it is possible that women’s health conditions that have a significant and pervasive impact on the individual would be considered a disability in law. Employers must recognise where they have a legal duty to provide reasonable adjustments to employees with disabilities. This can be difficult to understand and manage without someone’s medical history or the clinical expertise useful in interpreting this information.