opinion: women’s health in canada is a $37-billion opportunity hiding in plain sight
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women in canada spend roughly 14 years of their lives in poor health, compared with 11 years for men. the consequences ripple outward: reduced productivity, lower earnings, and diminished capacity to participate fully in the economy and community.
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canada stands at a crossroads. on one side is a persistent and costly women’s health gap, one that leaves women spending 24 per cent more time in poor health than men, limits their participation in the workforce, diminishes productivity, and constrains our economic potential. on the other side is a generational opportunity: if we close that gap, canada could unlock $37 billion in annual gdp by 2040. these are the figures calculated by the mckinsey health institute’s first canadian deep-dive.
what’s especially striking is that three-quarters of this $37 billion opportunity is workforce-driven. of the total economic gain, $16.1 billion comes from expanded participation, women having the health to enter, stay, and advance in the workforce, and $7 billion comes from increased productivity during their working years. this is not a marginal issue tucked at the edges of public policy. it is a workplace imperative with clear pathways for action.
the analysis from the mckinsey report makes sense of the scale and urgency. women in canada spend roughly 14 years of their lives in poor health, compared with 11 years for men. the consequences ripple outward: reduced productivity, lower earnings, and diminished capacity to participate fully in the economy and community. and despite canada’s reputation as an inclusive and equitable nation, we rank 5th worst globally for the economic impact of our women’s health gap.
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this gap is not inevitable. it is structural and solvable. and workplaces have a unique and powerful role to play.
the workplace is the frontline of change
because most of the economic impact occurs during women’s working years, the workplace becomes one of the most strategic levers for change.
the report also unearths the insight that many of the top drivers of women’s poor health, cardiovascular disease, cancer, migraines, perimenopause and menopause symptoms, mental health challenges, are chronic, undertreated, and often invisible. many conditions present differently in women or are missed altogether due to decades of male-normed research. these are not “women’s issues”; they are workforce, performance, and productivity issues.
when workplaces ignore women’s health, they pay for it twice: through absenteeism and lost productivity, and through reduced retention and stalled advancement. when workplaces invest in women’s health, the return is significant and immediate.
three actions workplaces can take now
the good news is that employers don’t need to wait for system-wide reform to make meaningful progress.
- normalize conversations about women’s health.
from menstrual health to cardiovascular risk to perimenopause and menopause, women benefit when their health needs are acknowledged rather than minimized. leaders can set the tone by fostering psychologically safe environments where health realities are not career liabilities. - modernize benefits to reflect women’s real, lived health needs.
this means ensuring access to mental health supports; culturally informed care; providers trained in female-specific presentations of conditions like heart disease; and benefits that include menopause care, pelvic health, migraine management, and reproductive care. employers have enormous influence over what types of care women can access quickly and affordably. - build flexibility into work design.
hybrid work, flexible scheduling, and autonomy are not perks—they are productivity tools that keep women in the workforce during periods when health challenges might otherwise push them out.
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none of these actions are costly, but together they are transformative. just as workplace mental health initiatives a decade ago reshaped the national conversation, women’s health is the next frontier of employer-led innovation.
a moment of possibility
canada has the talent, healthcare infrastructure, and economic capacity to lead globally in women’s health. what’s missing is the collective will to match our rhetoric with action.
addressing the women’s health gap is not a social “nice to have”; it is one of the smartest economic investments this country can make. closing the gap means fewer health conditions, expanded workforce participation, increased productivity, and fewer early deaths. it means healthier families, stronger communities, and a more resilient economy.
most of all, it means giving women, not just more years of life, but more life in their years.
canada cannot afford to leave $37 billion on the table. and women cannot afford to wait.
the report will be presented and discussed by representatives of the co-authors’ organizations at the vitally important: national women’s health summit in toronto, march 24, 2026.
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dr. julie cafley is the executive director at catalyst canada.
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amy flood is the executive director at women’s health collective canada.
dr. marie-renée b.-lajoie is an emergency physician and partner at mckinsey & company.
jean-yves bourgeois is the vice president, business services at desjardins group.
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