Despite growing awareness of reproductive health, two-thirds (67 per cent) of global employees who have experienced fertility challenges say their workplaces don’t offer support for employees undergoing fertility treatment, according to a new survey by Fertility Matters.
The survey — which polled more than 3,600 employees in Australia, France, Japan, Poland and the U.K. — found two-fifths (39 per cent) of employees who have undergone fertility treatment said they left or considered leaving their roles during that time.
Read: Claims for fertility drugs up nearly 15% among female plan members in 2024: report
Despite more than half (58 per cent) of employers including or planning to include fertility and family-building challenges as part of their workforce engagement and well-being strategy, six in 10 (60 per cent) workers said they weren’t clearly entitled to time off for fertility appointments. A quarter (26 per cent) used paid or unpaid leave and a fifth (17 per cent) said they took sick leave.
Roughly three-quarters (73 per cent) of employees experiencing fertility challenges said they’d be attracted to a role that provides fertility support, reinforcing the need for clearer, more consistent workplace policies.
While three-quarters (75 per cent) of employers said their organization acknowledges fertility treatment as a significant life event, only 27 per cent of employees who have experienced fertility challenges agreed. Notably, more than a third (36 per cent) said they’ve felt pressure from their employer to be at work while undergoing treatment.
The impact of fertility treatments on mental health was one of the most consistent themes across all countries, the survey found. Nearly all (94 per cent) employees reported fertility treatment affected their mental well-being and 80 per cent said they experienced anxiety or depression during their fertility journey.
Read: Pentagon strips travel reimbursement for troops seeking abortions, fertility treatment