Financial stress is an ever-present concern for many employees — among women, it’s even more pronounced. A survey by the Financial Resilience Institute found almost two-thirds (72 per cent) of women said money worries cause them emotional stress, eight percentage points higher than men, while 71 per cent of Canadian women are stressed about not […]
Employers can remove friction from benefits and pension plan design by encouraging ease of use, communications and reducing decision fatigue, according to a panel discussion at Benefits Canada’s inaugural Women’s Health & Wealth Summit. According to the 2025 Employee Savings Survey, women were less likely than men to describe their financial health as excellent or […]
While women set their average upper salary expectations 34 per cent higher than men ($162,492 versus $121,488), they often apply to jobs with a lower median salary ($68,274 versus $71,378), according to a new report by online job search platform JobLeads. The report, which analyzed behavioural data from more than 36,500 Canadian job-seekers, found 76 […]
In its sophomore year under the Employee Savings Survey banner, Benefits Canada’s annual check in with plan members about their financial priorities and the condition of their workplace savings journeys dove deeper into the demographic data. In a virtual panel discussion on March 30, industry experts shared their views on the 2026 results by exploring the […]
Manitoba is set to become the first province in Canada to require employers to provide free menstrual products in workplaces. The provincial government will amend the Workplace Safety and Health Regulation to require employers to provide menstrual products, including pads and tampons, in workplace washrooms or another accessible location, ensuring workers have access to basic […]
On average, women retire with 27 per cent less savings than men, according to a new report from Sun Life Financial Inc. The report, based on two surveys of members in workplace retirement savings plans administered by Sun Life, found women are consistently underutilizing these plans, despite living longer and spending more years in poorer […]
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 […]