Deloitte Report Shares How Physical and Mental Health Affects Women at Work

Working usually takes a third of our days, sometimes even more. This underscores the importance of creating a safe and healthy workplace for everyone, including women. What are some of the challenges affecting women at work?

Mental health

Deloitte’s Women @ Work 2024: A Global Outlook report is the company’s fourth edition. It gathered 5,000 women’s thoughts and workplace experiences, including challenges and aspects impacting them.

Health is one aspect affecting women at work. Half of the survey participants reported feeling a higher level of stress compared to last year, which took a toll on their mental health. For instance, around 25% of the women admitted to experiencing burnout this year. However, this number was lower than previous years, when it reached over 30% in 2023 and almost 50% in 2022.

Still, mental health support remains inadequate for over half of the survey’s participants. Many of them did not feel comfortable talking about their mental health at work, including disclosing mental health as their reason for taking time off. The reasons behind this varied. Some worried that it would damage their career, while others thought it was inappropriate to talk about mental health at work. Additionally, the fear of potential discrimination and layoff also deterred women from being vocal about their mental health at work.

Physical Health

In terms of physical health, 27% of women said that they experienced health challenges related to menstruation, menopause, and fertility. Four in 10 women who experienced severe period pains did not take time off, while 40% of women experiencing menopause endured it while continuing to work.

On a brighter note, the report noted some improvements in company support compared to the previous years. For instance, two in 10 women who took time off during period pains received support from their employers. In 2023, it was only one in 10 women. Still, support for women at work remains lacking in other aspects.

Similar to mental health, women also do not feel comfortable discussing the specific health challenges they experience at work. Around 14% of women in the survey admitted to being uncomfortable speaking to their managers about these issues. Furthermore, 13% of women stated that their company culture was making it challenging for them to openly discuss these topics. They were afraid that discussing health issues related to menstruation, menopause, and fertility could jeopardize their career, invite assumptions, and make them vulnerable.

Supporting Women at Work

Aside from health, the report also reveals household responsibilities and rights as determining aspects for women at work. In this case, employers are responsible for cultivating a safe and healthy work environment for women to thrive. Then, what can they do? The report provides several recommendations, some of which are:

Go beyond recognizing the importance of mental health at work by understanding the reasons behind workplace stress and taking action to mitigate it.
Ensure that organizational policies reflect the importance of women’s health and create a culture where they can speak openly about their health and take time off when needed.
Address non-inclusive behaviors and support women’s right to speak up without concern.

Read the full report here.

Editor: Nazalea Kusuma

Kresentia Madina

Reporter at Green Network Asia | Website | + posts

Madina is the Assistant Manager of Stakeholder Engagement at Green Network Asia. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English Studies from Universitas Indonesia. As part of the GNA In-House Team, she supports the organization's multi-stakeholder engagement across international organizations, governments, businesses, civil society, and grassroots communities through digital publications, events, capacity building, and research.