One in four women would feel uncomfortable telling their boss the real reason they were off sick if they had female-related health issues.
This is according to an Axa Health poll of 2,000 women which also found 41% would be embarrassed and 27% would feel judged by their manager if they admitted the truth.
More than half of those polled (58%) admitted they have not given the real reason for being off work in the past – giving a headache (20%) or stomach bug (29%) as the reason instead.
While conditions and issues such as vaginal infections, pelvic floor disorders and sexual health ranked among the most common issues women would not be willing to reveal, 32% would be willing to openly discuss breast cancer, and a similar percentage (30%) would feel confident discussing pregnancy-related issues.
But the research also found that women were struggling on even when unwell, with 49% having felt as though they should have taken time off for an issue related to women’s health but did not.
Reasons given for this include not wanting to be seen as unreliable (50%), while 27% were worried they would fall behind with their work.
For a fifth (20%), there was a culture to ‘push on’ in their workplace, and 16% feared it may even affect their career progression.
More positively, while a fifth (19%) reported their current place of work is not supportive of health-related female problems, 65% agreed that in the last 10 years changes to workplace culture have made it easier to open up about female-related health issues.
Pallavi Bradshaw, deputy chief medical officer at Axa Health, said: “As an employee it can be difficult to talk about your personal health at work, particularly if it’s a conversation around women’s health.
“But calling into work unwell as a result of a women’s health issue, whether that be morning sickness, period pain or menopause symptoms, should be viewed the same way it is for a migraine or sickness bug.”
Bradshaw added while businesses are making great progress in supporting women at work, the results show there is still more to be done.
“It’s important for employers to have awareness of the range and severity of challenges women can face, and how it may impact them at work,” she continued.
“Ensuring businesses are creating supportive environments where women feel they can be honest and seek the help they need is vital.
“Having women in the workplace is a win-win for women and businesses, so it’s essential we create workplaces that are inclusive as well as productive.”