Gaps in Canada’s health-care system are contributing to workplace strain among Black women, exposing a disconnect in how employers design and deliver benefits, according to a new report from the Black Women’s Institute for Health.
The report — the first national, community-driven survey focused on the health experiences of Black women and girls in Canada — pointed to a growing mismatch between traditional benefits design and the needs of a diverse workforce, a gap that’s increasingly showing up in mental-health claims, disability risk and overall workforce strain.
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These barriers are affecting Black women’s ability to stay healthy, maintain productivity and fully access workplace supports, says Kearie Daniel, the institute’s founder. “Black women are both overstudied and underrepresented in meaningful, disaggregated health data. We knew from lived experience and community conversations that something was deeply wrong, but without data, those realities are too easily dismissed or minimized.”
The report found 76.6 per cent of respondents don’t feel heard by health-care providers, while 66.7 per cent reported feeling dismissed. This disconnect persists despite access to health services, with 84.2 per cent indicating they have a family doctor or other primary care provider.
Access and quality are not the same thing, she adds, noting gaps in care are translating into increased sick time, unmanaged chronic conditions and mental-health strain in the workplace. Notably, more than a quarter (27.6 per cent) of respondents reported thoughts of self-harm, while 42 per cent rated their mental health as fair or poor.
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The impact is also showing up in employee retention and workplace experience. Nearly half of respondents said they’ve been pushed out of a role due to discrimination, bias or lack of support, while more than two-thirds reported experiencing workplace discrimination. The report linked these experiences to chronic stress, with implications for productivity, engagement and long-term disability risk.
More than 42 per cent of respondents said they’ve delayed or avoided care due to concerns about how they would be treated, alongside barriers such as long wait times and a lack of culturally competent care providers.
For plan sponsors, the findings point to a clear gap between standard benefits offerings and what employees need to effectively navigate the health-care system.
“There is an opportunity and a responsibility for employers and benefits providers to rethink how care is accessed and delivered,” says Daniel. “This includes culturally responsive mental-health supports, access to providers who understand the lived realities of Black women and systems that don’t require individuals to continuously advocate for themselves to receive appropriate care.”
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