Most companies are beginning to recognize that in order for employees to be engaged and productive at work, they need to have a baseline level of well-being. But some staffers are struggling more than others.
While about half of working men rate their well-being as “highly positive,” only around 38% of women say the same, according to a recent report from Alight, a consulting technology company that surveyed around 2,500 employees. Female employees are also much more likely than their male colleagues to experience symptoms of burnout, at about 48% compared to 36%, respectively.
Laine Thomas Conway, VP of engagement services strategy at Alight, tells Fortune this largely stems from differences between men and women when it comes to their personal and professional lives. “There’s this pressure that [women] are all under that can be challenging,” she says.
Working women are increasingly juggling the responsibilities of being both the family breadwinner and shouldering a majority of the housework. Women also face professional roadblocks that can include sexual harassment, unequal pay, negative feedback, and inadequate benefits.
Women reported lower scores across the board for every well-being metric that researchers measured. Only 38% of women rank their physical wellness highly, compared to 50% of men. The same is true for mental and emotional health—about 37% of women say they’re doing well, compared to 47% of men. Women are less satisfied with their social well-being than men are, at 38% and 47% respectively. There is also a gap when it comes to how happy women are with their career; around 38% of women report high satisfaction, compared to 49% of men. But the widest gap concerns financial well-being—around 31% of women rate their economic situation positively, compared to 46% of men.
Women “aren’t seeing the support they need,” says Thomas Conway. “We know that well-being is a priority for employers, but women aren’t necessarily seeing it play out for them. And that’s disappointing.”
Thomas Conway says that employers need to make sure that they’re providing women workers with meaningful benefits they actually want. Flexible work, for instance, has become one of the most valued perks among female staffers, alongside mental health resources and subsidized child care. Giving women options to better manage their time, while easing some of their financial strain from family costs, will aid them in their wellness journey.
“Employers need to think about, ‘How do we make it relevant for women? How do we engage women in their well-being?’” Thomas Conway says.
Emma Burleigh
emma.burleigh@fortune.com
Today’s edition was curated by Brit Morse.
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