Sun Life's Marie-Chantal Côté explains what's driving women's mental health struggles in the workplace
Each month at BPM, we offer a slate of articles and content pieces that go deep on a particular topic. This November, we’re exploring employee and plan members' mental health.
Mental health issues are now hitting women in the workplace significantly harder than men, according to data from Sun Life’s latest women’s health report.
Marie-Chantal Côté believes the findings reinforce a reality that’s becoming increasingly difficult to ignore as women and men experience mental health very differently in the workplace. She emphasized that mental health claims now account for 40 per cent of long-term disability cases overall, a number that has steadily risen from the low 30s, just a few years ago.
But for women, that figure climbs to 45 per cent, compared to just 33 per cent for men.
“At a macro level, if we have a hundred women in our long-term disability block, 45 [per cent] of those is because of a primary condition that is tied into mental health,” she said, noting that a “primary condition” is the main reason someone is unable to work.
However, she says it’s rarely just one issue at play as she underscored the higher rate of mental health-related disability claims among women may not necessarily reflect a greater incidence of mental illness but rather about who is seeking help.
“We are hypothesizing that women may be seeking more help because there might be a bit less stigma among them,” she said, highlighting that both prescription use and disability leave require someone to consult a physician, receive a diagnosis, and initiate treatment.
Contrastingly, she suspects many men may delay or avoid seeking help altogether.
“We hypothesize that they're not always getting the help that they need and suffering in silence or delaying treatment,” she noted.
But beyond help-seeking behavior, Côté points to underlying differences in women’s health that can drive mental health challenges. Hormonal changes, including those related to puberty, fertility, and menopause can all have a psychological impact. These fluctuations, she notes, can trigger or exacerbate anxiety, depression, and other conditions during key life stages.
On top of that, Côté highlighted caregiving responsibilities as a major contributor. Nearly half of women (43 per cent) say caregiving causes them significant stress, compared to just 26 per cent of men.
“Women in our culture still bear quite a bit more of the caregiving burden,” she added.
Côté outlined three main barriers that are making it harder for women to access mental health support in the workplace: availability, cost, and day-to-day logistics.
Access to care remains a widespread challenge. Long wait times and services limited to standard business hours don't always work, particularly for women juggling work and caregiving responsibilities. Though, virtual care has largely helped close that gap by offering more flexible options outside the typical 9-to-5 window, making it easier for women to seek support on their own schedules.
Second, cost is a more common obstacle for women than men. Many aren’t aware that mental health services through employee benefits, like Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) or health spending accounts, can be accessed at no extra charge. This lack of awareness means some women may avoid care due to concerns about affordability, even when support is fully covered by their employer. This gap in knowledge can discourage people from seeking help, even when it wouldn’t cost them anything out of pocket.
Côté sees this as a communication failure that employers and benefits providers need to address, not just by offering support but by clearly explaining how to access it.
When asked why cost is a more significant barrier to mental health care for women than for men, Cote hypothesizes women are using mental health services more often, which naturally makes them more conscious of the associated costs. That higher usage can lead to greater concern about affordability, even when some of the services are covered.
She also suggests income inequality remains a structural issue. While many organizations are working on pay equity within roles, broader disparities persist because traditionally male-dominated fields, like STEM, still tend to offer higher salaries than fields where women are overrepresented.
As a result, women often have less disposable income to spend on additional health services, including mental health care.
Logistical barriers such as transportation or childcare also add another layer of complexity to women’s mental health challenges. For many women, particularly single mothers, they struggle to figure out what happens to their kids while they’re in a therapy session. These everyday constraints can prevent women from prioritizing their mental health, even when support is available.
Côté pointed to another recent Sun Life report on comorbidities which also influence mental health challenges. In many cases, physical illnesses like cancer or heart disease don’t just take a toll on the body; they affect psychological well-being too. For example, an employee undergoing cancer treatment, might be on disability for the physical illness, but consequently, also dealing with secondary mental health challenges.
“Now the person is off of work and unable to perform their duties because of the cancer,” she said, “but it is impacting their mental [health] and at the same time they have this secondary condition that is also impacting their overall health.”
Côté outlined a clear framework for how employers can better support mental health in the workplace, starting with the need to confront stigma. She argues that stigma still acts as a major barrier to care, though it doesn’t look the same across all groups. Whether it’s men, younger employees, or remote communities, each population has its own barriers to speaking openly about mental health.
Once stigma is addressed, the next step is ensuring that benefit plans are both comprehensive and accessible. That’s why Côté sees virtual care options and mental health toolkits as a powerful equalizer, especially in rural or underserved regions.
But even with good benefits and less stigma, employees often don’t know what’s available to them or how to access it so Côté pointed to effective and constant communication around what’s included in the benefits plan.
“Imagine a world where someone says, ‘Oh, I’m feeling more anxious these days’ and someone else says, ‘Do you know you have EAP? Here’s how to use the app.’”
