An article on the structural barriers Indigenous women continue to face in workplace retirement plans and benefits programs was the most-read article on BenefitsCanada.com this past week. Here are the top five human resources, benefits, pension and investment stories of the last week: 1. Indigenous women face persistent barriers to workplace retirement, benefits plans: expert 2. […]
In 2023, women occupied 23.2 per cent of seats on boards of directors, increasing 0.5 percentage points compared to 2022 (22.7 per cent), according to a new report by Statistics Canada. The report found half (50.3 per cent) of boards didn’t include any women directors in 2023. In addition, 25.8 per cent of boards had one woman director, while boards […]
Rising rates of chronic illness among younger people and women are changing the picture of chronic disease in Canada, according to Sun Life data. Forty-five per cent of Canadians now live with a chronic disease, said Alexandra Dalkie, the insurer’s director of ePharmacy, during Benefits Canada’s 2026 Chronic Disease at Work conference. While older Canadians […]
Workplace design, not just benefits coverage, may determine whether women remain in the workforce during menopause, according to new research from the University of Ottawa. Madeline Toubiana, professor and Desmarais Chair in entrepreneurship at the University of Ottawa’s Telfer School of Management, says many organizations focus on benefits coverage without examining the structural workplace barriers […]
Nearly half (49 per cent) of U.S. female employees have stymied their career ambitions because of caregiving responsibilities, compared to just 32 per cent of men, according to a new survey by leave management platform Sparrow. The survey, which polled more than 300 U.S. employees, found 27 per cent of women said they conceal caregiving […]
Women feel more empowered to prioritize their financial wellness in workplaces that provide a sense of purpose, inclusion and a safe space to ask questions, says Dilys D’Cruz, senior vice-president of retail and wealth at Meridian Credit Union. A September 2025 report by Meridian found 67 per cent of Canadian women felt stressed and uncertain […]
Employers can improve women’s financial security by recognizing gender differences and improving pension contribution and benefits structures, says Kadie Philp, commissioner and chief administrative officer at the Ontario Pay Equity Commission. To close the gender pension gap, employers need to recognize how different work-life patterns can be for men and women, in addition to making […]
When the return-to-office mandate arrived, 39-year-old Supreet Singh, a corporate communications manager at a bank, didn’t argue, escalate it to human resources or request an accommodation. After nearly seven years of balancing full-time work with caregiving for an ageing parent and two school-aged children, she resigned. The company had been clear there would be no […]
Debra Whitman was traveling for work when her father was suddenly admitted to the hospital in serious pain. She jetted home to Maryland and took several days off to care for him in his rural community in eastern Washington state and to set him up with a motorized lift chair that would help him stand […]
While Health Canada’s approval of the first drug to specifically treat postpartum depression represents a clinical milestone in women’s mental health, one benefits expert says its impact on employer-sponsored drug plans is likely to be limited. Zuranolone, sold under the brand name Zurzuvae, is a 14-day oral treatment designed to provide rapid symptom relief for […]