Workplace benefits plans can play a crucial role in improving women’s health outcomes, but many haven’t yet evolved to recognize the unique health needs and transitions women face over their life.
“We have so much knowledge now of the transitions, the health situations that women face, but yet we haven’t seen that evolution in our benefits plans,” said Erika Hatherly, strategic leader of drug programs, group benefits and retirement solutions at iA Financial Group, during a session at Benefits Canada’s 2026 Vancouver Benefits Summit.
“We have seen this one-size-fits-all approach, this idea that men and women are going to interact with their plan equally, and that’s just not true.”
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A well-designed plan can ensure women get the care they need at the moment they need it, she noted, rather than facing friction and “having to fight at every moment to get that care.”
The menopause transition is a prime opportunity for benefits plans to make a difference, said Hatherly. Perimenopause and menopause typically occur at a time when women are reaching the height of their careers. Unmanaged symptoms often translate to lost productivity, days of work and earnings and even lead to women leaving the workplace. “This is where mid-career retention is won or lost.”
Setting up a plan navigation toolkit can help women find the benefits they might need, such as a health-care spending account or wellness account to cover alternative treatments for their symptoms.
Benefits can also help women “connect the dots” earlier about emerging health issues, said Hatherly. She gave an example of a woman in her 30s who’s experiencing exhaustion, slow weight gain and an irregular menstrual cycle. “Something like insulin resistance and the development of polycystic ovarian syndrome is often not caught early on. What we want to do is have a plan that has access to [paramedical] practitioners . . . that are able to make this route from symptom to solution shorter.”
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A woman dealing with endometriosis, a reproductive health issue that isn’t often well-recognized in the workplace but can cause significant pain and time away from work, could leverage physiotherapy, mental-health coverage and other paramedical practitioners to manage her pain and mental health, she said.
Women’s mental and financial health should be part of the broader well-being discussion, said Hatherly, particularly given that women tend to take more breaks from work for having children and caregiving, leading to lower retirement savings that need to stretch over longer lifespans.
Surveys have found more women than men say financial stress is impacting their mental health. She recommended multiple approaches to financial education, including webinars, access to personalized advice, digital tools such as retirement simulators and learning modules.
Read more coverage of the 2026 Vancouver Benefits Summit.