A new report from Sun Life Financial, Focus on Women’s Health, discusses the health of Canadian women and the related implications for workplaces. The report notes that growth in the conditions Canadians report is dramatically higher for women than men. Young women in particular would appear to be increasingly at risk.
“The findings highlight the unique and increasingly complex health challenges women are facing earlier in life,” Sun Life states in an announcement about the publication’s release.
Based on health claims data from more than three million plan members and 20,000 employers, the report found that cancer rates among women under 50 are now twice as high as those reported by men in the same age group – under age 50 women have more than two times the cancer drug claims than men. “We also see this disparity in our long-term disability data,” the report states. Migraine drug claims are four to five times higher for women than for men and women’s claims for diabetes drugs are growing 40 per cent faster than men’s.
New wave of chronic illness
“Notably, drug claims for diabetes and high blood pressure among women under 30 have begun to outpace those of young men, signalling a new wave of chronic illness in younger women,” they add. “Women also continue to bear a bigger burden when it comes to mental health disorders, with 45 per cent of women’s disability claims reported as being related to mental health versus 33 per cent for men.”
The growing incidence of heart attacks is also noted in the report. “Younger women now have the highest growth rate in heart attacks across gender and age cohorts,” they add. The report also looks at the relationship between menopause and chronic diseases and the impact of climate and extreme weather events on women’s health (again, women were more likely than men to report climate related health impacts).
Higher rates of disability leave
In addition to both cancer and mental health disorders leading to higher rates of disability leave for women than for men, they say the research also found that women were more likely than men to report obstacles in their return-to-work plans following disability leave. Challenges reported by employees included financial pressure to return to work prematurely, having no one to speak to other than their direct manager when experiencing difficulties, no clear transition plans and lacking sufficient benefits for treatment.
Communication, drug coverage, health care navigation services, second opinion services, mental health supports and best practices for return-to-work scenarios are all recommended for employers interested in helping.
“While your group benefits plans may already cover many of the supports suggested, awareness is critical,” they write. “Communication of these supports to women in your workplace can help ensure they can access them as needed.”
