closing the gender gap is more than just a women’s health issue, it is a societal imperative
“women’s health is vital economic infrastructure,” says amy flood, executive director, whcc. “investing in it is both the right thing to do, and one of the smartest investments canada can make in its future.”
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a new analysis from the mckinsey health institute reports that women in canada spend 24 per cent more time in poor health than men, and more than half of the health gap occurs during working years. getty images
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tanya lindsay started noticing symptoms of menopause at age 47. at first, the symptoms were subtle, she explained. “i’m a high energy person. i was running a business, and i found i couldn’t do it. i couldn’t think straight, i had no energy and i didn’t know why.”
previously a marathon runner, she found she had to start shortening her long-distance runs. her joints were sore, and she kept pulling muscles with minimal activity. because she wasn’t having hot flashes, she was told this couldn’t be related to menopause. she ultimately exited her company early, in large part because she didn’t have the energy to meet the demands of the business.
“as a woman in tech, your whole life is about trying to prove you are good enough…when all these health issues happen, you can’t talk about it because it validates that [perception] that you can’t hack it. and then you start questioning yourself.”
while researching her next venture, which ultimately became a menopause-focused app called bastet rising, she realized many of the symptoms she had were related to menopause. at age 52, she went back to her physician and requested a trial of hormone therapy. within two weeks she started to feel like herself again.
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lindsay is not alone. a new analysis from the mckinsey health institute reports that women in canada spend 24 per cent more time in poor health than men, and more than half of the health gap occurs during working years. the report, released on oct. 22, 2025, shows that investing in women’s health to close this gap improves productivity, workforce participation and longevity and could boost canada’s economy by $37 billion annually by 2040.
the report demonstrates that addressing the women’s health gap in canada can give back a week of health to every canadian woman per year, says dr. marie-renée b-lajoie, a partner with mckinsey & company, an emergency physician in montreal, and lead author on the report.
“canada has made tremendous progress in the last century. we know canadian life expectancy has more than doubled, but now it’s very clear that we need to add healthy life back into those years,” she says.
investing in women’s health to close the gap could improve productivity, workforce participation and longevity. mckinsey & company
the results highlight how health and productivity are deeply interconnected. poorer health reduces economic participation, which in turn lowers income and worsens access to health care, creating a vicious cycle.
the health and economic impacts aren’t just from health conditions traditionally considered under the umbrella of women’s health, like endometriosis and menopause. the top conditions in the report include cancer, heart disease and brain disorders, making up 75 per cent of the health gap.
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“this research confirms what we’ve always known,” says amy flood, executive director, women’s health collective canada (whcc). “women’s health is vital economic infrastructure. investing in it is both the right thing to do, and one of the smartest investments canada can make in its future.”
women’s health collective canada is a strategic alliance of the country’s leading women’s health and hospital foundations, working together to close the health gap for women in canada. through research, strategic alliances, education and advocacy, the organization advances equity in women’s health and accelerates progress toward a stronger, fairer system of care.
through a partnership with desjardins insurance, with additional support from hologic canada and organon canada, whcc is working to raise national awareness of the economic impact of women’s health, and the opportunity that comes from enabling women to participate fully in work, life and society.
desjardins insurance is supporting the work of whcc to raise awareness of the issue because they believe that organizations like theirs have a powerful role to play in advancing women’s health. when women are healthy, supported and financially empowered, businesses thrive, families are stronger, and communities become more resilient, they say.
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“we see this as a strategic and human imperative — one that drives innovation, equity and long-term prosperity for all,” says chantal gagné, president and chief operating officer, desjardins financial security.
they encourage other organizations to see this as an opportunity to lead with purpose, foster equity and create lasting impact for their employees and communities.
the mckinsey health institute report begins to identify the root causes that must be addressed to close the health gap. they highlight a desperate need for improved gender-specific research, recognizing that clinical trials have historically focused on male biology which leads to misdiagnosis, undertreatment and slower innovation.
they stress the differences in access, quality and continuity of care that disproportionately affect women particularly in rural areas, indigenous groups and racialized communities. and they acknowledge the data gap, with less than 7 per cent of total canadian health research funding going to female-specific conditions.
dr. b-lajoie believes that a canadian strategy to close the gender gap is more than just a women’s health issue, it is a societal imperative.
“for canada to close our women’s health gap, workplaces, health insurers, health systems, investors, philanthropists and us as citizens all need to work together to make better health for women a reality,” she says.
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this story was provided by women’s health collective canada for commercial purposes.
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