Does discussing Women’s Health at work contribute to the perception that women are less capable leaders and talents?

I recently attended an event discussing the Authority Gender Gap (a book worth reading). At the event, I asked if discussing Women’s Health contributes to the perception that women are less capable leaders and talents.

To my surprise, the answer was 👉 Yes.

What surprised me even further was the number of women who approached me later, agreeing that it could be seen as an additional weakness and that we should be careful how we talk about our health.

I couldn’t help but feel shocked and sad. As someone who suffered severely from:

👉 Endometriosis

👉 Adenomyosis

👉 Debilitating period pains

👉 PMDD

👉 Infertility

Whilst building what I consider a successful career, this hit me hard.

It is true it took me some time to be honest about my pain and journey, and many people had no idea what I was going through whilst travelling, leading projects and delivering beyond my job description.

Yet, the moment I disclosed it, my health was never seen as a weakness, so why do we feel it might be?

Why women’s health can be seen as a weakness?

Here are some examples that were shared with me:

👉 we remind everyone that we are at 40% capacity when working

👉 we talk about it a lot, and every month

👉 we show that we are not capable of operating at 100% every day

👉 by talking about menopause, we make it look like in our 20s is the only time we operate at 100%

👉 we don’t share details of migraine or headaches, so why talk so much about women’s health

All these points got me thinking, and I can see both sides, so I started researching this area. I was again surprised (positively, I may add) that not a single report discussed ‘Women’s Health conversations being disadvantaged to women at work’.

What I did find is that “53% of female and 47% of male business owners believe that women are more difficult to manage as a result of their health issues” (Benende.co.uk). Yes, you read it right: more women believe that women are difficult to manage due to health issues.

The truth is that the perception of women’s health as a weakness goes back many years of a misogynistic and patriarchal world, where women have been shamed for their health and medicine dismissed women in studies due to their ‘unpredictable’ nature (hormonal changes). Note: great books on this topic are Women Don't Owe You Pretty and This Won't Hurt, How Medicine Fails Women.

Should we stop Women’s Health conversations at work?

According to a Personnel Today article, nearly 73% of the women polled said health-related perks would now be important if they searched for a new job, and 77% felt this was more important than five years ago.

What is more, the ongoing neglect of women’s health at work is costing UK plc to the tune of £20.2bn a year, according to Axa research.

This research alone should be enough to argue that we should continue discussing Women’s Health at work.

We can’t avoid this conversation if we genuinely care about attracting and retaining female talent as an industry, organisations, and individuals.

As incredible Gemma Lines said in 100 Women In Insurance Podcast, episode 32, said:

“Women have to bring their biology into work in ways men don’t”.

I challenge everyone to consciously monitor their unconscious biases regarding Women’s Health issues at work. This will result in:

👉 higher job satisfaction

👉 increase talent retention

👉 higher productivity

👉 successful careers

How can we change the perception of Women’s Health and encourage conversation?

Here are my quick tips on how to change our perception of Women's Health at work at both personal and company levels. What else should we add to this list?

Individual

👉 Learn

Whether you are a woman or a man, expose yourself to education. Learn about women’s healthcare issues arising today by attending events, reading articles, and listening (without judgment) to your colleagues, friends, and family willing to share their experiences.

👉 Don’t compare

This especially applies to women. I find that conversations about Women’s Health are sometimes easier with a man, as they don’t question it, than with a woman who has never suffered. Every woman is unique, which makes us amazing but can also cause us challenges. Our experiences always differ, so keep your judgement to yourself and listen to my experiences. Empathy is key to successful changes in unconscious bias.

👉 Watch your language

As mentioned earlier, one of the reasons why Women’s Health can be seen as a weakness is the language we use. The truth is when we say “we are operating at 45% of capacity”, in reality, it means we operate at 100%, but usually we are at 145%, or maybe we are at 45%, but we can still do everything we need to do. Yet another person hears that for weeks or months, we are only at 45% of our mental capacity, and they worry if the work will get done.

Company

👉 Educate

Continue to organise events to educate your employees on topics related to women’s health. Encourage men and women to attend by creating inclusive learning opportunities for both genders.

👉 Empower

Coach, train and support managers in being able to hold conversations about Women’s Health with confidence.

👉 Policies

Review your policies, considering the frequency of Women’s Health conditions.

In conclusion

I have been reflecting on this topic for some time before writing this article. In my opinion, discussing Women’s Health at work is not a weakness; it is the right thing to do if we care about retaining and attracting female talent.

Women’s Health is not something we should continue to see as a taboo or a niche problem.

I am not encouraging us to talk details with everyone. Still, we should acknowledge that just as you can get back chronic pain and suffer from it, you can also have a woman’s health condition that is severely impacting your working life, and with small adjustments, this can be improved.

Let’s stop associating women with weakness and start to see women as equal, capable and knowledgeable talents, leaders and colleagues that they are.

My new phrase (and future article) is “Don’t confuse my pink jacket and positive personality for lack of capability 🙋♀️”

I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this topic.

written by Sandra Lewin