Women's mental health: why it's important to recognise complexities in the workplace
Not everyone sees mental health and gender as a linked topic. But the intricacies of gender – from societal expectations to physiological differences – certainly interacts with how we each experience mental health.
Of course, everyone’s mental health is individual and nuanced, but there are some overall differences in how gender impacts mental health. For example, 1 in 5 women encounter Common Mental Disorders (including anxiety or depression), compared with 1 in 8 men.
It’s important to recognise these differences – particularly in the workplace – to ensure the right support is in place for every employee, no matter their gender. So, this International Women’s Day, I want to broadly explore the relationship between women and mental health.
Why is it important to delve deeper into women’s mental health?
Women’s mental health is intricately woven with their experience of gender, in both professional and in their personal circumstances, – with some concerning realities, such as:
Discrimination and everyday sexism: gender-related language and discrimination in the workplace has a negative impact on women’s wellbeing – with women outnumbering men two to three with common mental disorders such as depression. This is also linked to Tall Poppy Syndrome, where someone is belittled for their achievements – which is rife for women and detrimental to their growth in the workplace
Female-specific physical health and mental health conditions: from postpartum depression and menopause to endometriosis, physiological struggles that come with being female can unfortunately negatively impact women’s mental health too
Societal expectations: We’ve all experienced pressure to look or act a certain way, but expectations for women – in and outside of the workplace – can have a significant impact on their wellbeing. Even contributing to eating disorders and body dysmorphia, with some alarming statistics
Abuse: 53% of women who have mental health problems have been abused. This advert by Women’s Aid really hits home the message about how widespread violence against women is
Care related roles: A huge proportion of care-related work is still provided by women, with 89% of nurses and 75.5% of school teachers identifying themselves as female for instance. And outside of the workplace, women tend to take on more caring responsibilities at a great risk to their mental health as a result
What can businesses do to support women’s mental health?
At State of Us, it’s our mission to unite the comms industry on mental health, change the conversation and shift behaviour. But we can’t do it alone.
Based on the above research and shared advice from women in the workplace, we’ve collated a list of things that companies can do to take action and support female mental health in business:
Open up discussions and provide mental health training for staff – speak to us if you’d like to be put in touch with our growing network of Mental Health Frist Aiders
Create a safe space for employees to feel open and empowered to speak when needed
Advocate for women (as studies have shown this is not done enough) and give colleagues feedback and credit when you think it’s due
Evaluate the culture of the workplace – you can do this independently or via external parties such as Mind. Continually measure and track progress where possible so you can set realistic, achievable goals
Support training needs to help ensure women are being supported to grow, evaluate your business’ employee retention and strive for female representation at higher levels
Raise awareness of the female experience beyond mental health, for instance learning sessions around everyday sexism or the menopause to increase awareness and understanding
Join initiatives such as State of Us to listen, learn and join the conversation
