Despite decades of progress, women’s health continues to be undervalued, under-researched, and underrepresented in both medicine and the workplace. For women in tech – already navigating a field where gender disparity is pronounced – this creates a double bind.
The Gender Health Gap:
- Women spend 25 percent more of their life in poor health than men (~9 years in poor health).
- 47 percent of health conditions affect women disproportionally more than men (depression, lower back pain, migraines, anxiety, osteoporosis, autoimmune, asthma).
- Five percent of women’s health burden are women specific conditions (maternal, gynaecological).
- Women are less likely than men to have a heart attack correctly diagnosed.
- 2/3 Alzheimer’s cases are female.
- Many clinical trials still underrepresent women, leading to diagnosis, medications and treatments that are less effective for women.
- In tech workplaces, benefits often focus on general health coverage, with little attention to gender-specific care like fertility, menopause, or hormonal health.
The Hidden Costs for Women in Tech
When health systems don’t serve women equitably, the consequences ripple through their careers:
- Delayed diagnoses can lead to chronic fatigue, pain, or cognitive issues that impact performance and quality of life.
- Lack of workplace support for menstruation, fertility, or menopause can force women to hide symptoms or work through intense discomfort.
- Mental load and burnout are compounded by unacknowledged health concerns like endometriosis (average eight years to diagnose).
For women in high-performance environments like tech, where expectations are high and representation is low, these factors can lead to early exits, stalled careers, or personal health crises.
- 10 percent women left the workplace because of menopausal symptoms.
- 25 percent women went part-time because of their menopausal symptoms.
Solutions: Closing the Divide
This is where we improve the script:
Educate and Advocate
- Internal presentations or newsletters about the gender health gap can raise awareness within your team or organisation.
Senior Leader policy advocation
- Partner with HR to audit current policies and increase awareness.
Push for Inclusive Benefits
- Request workplace benefits that support women’s health—flexibility of working hours (to include time off for Doctor appointments), period leave, fertility coverage, menopause support, and access to female-focused health providers.
Build Internal Health Channels
- Create a Teams/Slack channel or community around women’s health in your workplace. Share resources, ask questions, and normalise conversation around what used to be whispered topics.
Mentor
- Encourage other women to advocate for their health at work. Mentor junior women to prioritise self-care without guilt.
Final Line of Code
Your health is not a side project. It’s the infrastructure that everything else runs on. As women in tech, we’re building the future—but we also need to build sustainable systems for ourselves.
Author Biography
Anjanette Fraser (MSc Nutritional Medicine) is a highly experienced nutrition and women’s health expert with a distinguished 19-year career delivering impactful seminars and webinars to a diverse range of organisations including: CGI, IKEA, BP, Network Rail, Hilton Hotels, John Deere, PwC, ICAEW, Coca-Cola, and Vodafone, as well as numerous SMEs and charities.
With a Master’s degree in Nutritional Medicine, Anjanette combines academic expertise with a practical, relatable approach to health and wellbeing. She is deeply passionate about raising health awareness, empowering individuals and teams to make informed, sustainable choices that enhance both personal and professional performance.
Before transitioning to the field of nutrition, Anjanette built a successful career in Corporate Finance, specialising in Mergers & Acquisitions at PwC London. This unique background gives her a deep understanding of workplace dynamics and the critical role that wellbeing plays in organisational success.
