Good Health for Women is Good for All

Let’s look at a few facts. Women make up about 60% of America’s workforce (47% of the global workforce). They provide about 44 percent of all labor hours in the U.S. economy, and that labor contributes $7.6 trillion to the nation’s GDP each year. I recently read that if all paid working women in the United States took a day off, it would cost the country almost $21 billion in terms of GDP. 

Given these statistics, you would think congress and voters and employers and judges and insurance companies, and pharmaceutical companies would be obsessed with providing accessible, affordable, equitable healthcare to women. You would think that providing support and acceptance to women dealing with healthcare issues at work would be a given. You would think that in the wake of a global pandemic, the focus on accessible healthcare for people of all backgrounds, ethnicities, and identities would be a global priority.

You would think wrong. The women’s healthcare crisis is widely reported, yet in 2023, women’s health is still vastly underserved, with gender bias and health inequities that have long prevented women from receiving the quality care they deserve.

The marketing, media, and tech industries are not immune to these inequities, which is why we want to create greater awareness of the issues, especially during National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and National Menopause Awareness month. It’s why we are hosting our Networking Circles event tomorrow (10/4) to focus on women’s health, creating a safe and open environment for people to discuss healthcare issues and stigma related to infertility/pregnancy/postpartum health, menstruation, and menopause.

It’s why we celebrate the actions that many in our industry are taking to create a better and healthier work environment for women. Like GroupM’s efforts to create a psychologically safe workplace for women who need support during menstruation and menopause. And Publicis Groupe’s commitment to Working with Cancer, which includes a guaranteed job and a year of salary to anyone who is stricken with cancer.

During October we hope to spotlight other initiatives and efforts that aim to close the healthcare gender gap. Please send a summary of your program(s) to cheri@sherunsit.org, and we will socialize your good work in the coming weeks.

Thanks for all you do.