Key takeaways
- Health challenges that go unsupported can cost businesses in participation, productivity and retention, and women’s health is a significant, often overlooked, part of that picture.
- “Perimenopause can start in your 40s, and midlife women make up a significant share of the workforce. Supporting them isn’t optional, it’s good business,” says Lorné Liebenberg, Director Clinical Product Strategy.
- Employers that invest in education, preventative health and support can can reduce stress and friction for employees, improving employee wellbeing across the board.
For employers across the United States, employee wellbeing remains a top priority.
Yet, women’s health is one area where some organizations still have an opportunity to provide more meaningful support.
From fertility treatment and pregnancy to menopause, caring responsibilities and chronic conditions, women are often balancing health needs alongside their careers.
These experiences don’t just happen outside the workplace; they can impact how people feel, perform and engage at work. And for employers, the implications could be significant.
Research from the Mayo Clinic estimates that menopause-related symptoms cost the U.S. economy approximately $1.8 billion annually in lost work time [1].
Separate statistics from research organization RAND have estimated that menopause-related productivity losses total approximately $5.4 billion each year in the U.S. [2].
For employers navigating rising healthcare costs and employee well-being among other challenges, supporting women’s health makes both moral and business sense.
Balancing health challenges with personal and professional responsibilities
“For a lot of women, it’s not one health issue – it’s managing your own health while also showing up for kids, a partner, or aging parents. That combination is what makes things hard to manage,” says Lorné Liebenberg, Director of Product Strategy for Vitality U.S.
Challenges such as fertility treatment, menopause symptoms, and other health concerns often place employees in a difficult position, forcing them to manage healthcare needs while maintaining personal and professional duties.
Without access to specialist support, those challenges could contribute to absenteeism, presenteeism and workforce attrition.
“Perimenopause can start in your 40s, and no two women experience it the same way. With women at this life stage making up a significant share of the U.S. workforce, how we support them at work matters – for them and for the business.”
For example, the Society for Women’s Health Research found that two in five women considered finding a new job because of menopause symptoms and their workplace experience [3].
The same study found that more than 75% of women participate in the U.S. workforce during their menopause transition years [3].
Women could also be navigating significant health transitions when they’re moving into leadership roles and taking on greater responsibilities.
If experienced employees leave the workforce prematurely, or go to pursue new opportunities, employers run the risk of losing valuable knowledge and skills, leadership potential and future talent.
Building a workplace that supports women’s health
Awareness days and wellbeing campaigns can shine a light on women’s health topics at specific points in the year, but meaningful support requires a longer-term strategy.
For employers, that means cultivating an environment where employees feel comfortable raising and discussing health challenges and accessing support when they need it.
This is where clear policies, flexible working practices (where appropriate), benefits that reflect the lived experiences of employees and manager training play a key role.
In addition to manager training, employers can also raise awareness of women’s health topics through webinars, educational resources and access to expert guidance across key life stages and health challenges.
As much as it’s about responding when employees experience challenges, it’s important to create a culture that enables and supports people to stay healthy and thrive.
Addressing the gender exercise gap and supporting healthy habits
Particularly for employees who are juggling work, family and caregiving responsibilities, building and maintaining healthy habits can be challenging.
According to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report, only 42.4% of women in the U.S. met the recommended aerobic physical activity guidelines in 2024 [4].
Wellbeing strategies that focus on making healthy behaviors easier, more successful and more rewarding can be useful.
Through preventative health programs, personalized wellbeing support and digital engagement tools, employers can help employees engage more actively with their health and well-being.
At Vitality, our approach combines behavior change science, personalized health journeys and preventative health support to help people build healthier habits.
These risk reductions produced productivity savings from reduced health-related absenteeism and presenteeism; this translates into 4.4 productive days per employee each year, amounting to approximately $1,047 in productivity savings per employee [6].
Ultimately, supporting women’s health is about creating a workplace where employees can perform at their best, progress in their careers and access the support they need throughout every stage of life.
Because when employees thrive, businesses do too.
[2] The economic impacts of menopause in the United States, RAND, September 2025
[5] Closing the gender exercise gap, study report, ASICS, 2023
