Employers understand that promoting women's health in the workplace is not just a moral imperative, but also a must-have to attract and retain top talent.
With the Alight Benefits Advantage, organizations gain an integrated solution, ensuring their people receive comprehensive support. The health journey for women requires personal, holistic support and access to care across every phase of life. One of Alight's partners, Carrot, provides tailored services and resources to support this effort.
The Importance of women's health
Women’s health issues span various stages of life, each presenting unique challenges and needs.
Pregnancy & postpartum:
- Access/equity: Over 35% of U.S. counties are considered maternity care deserts, and 46% are pharmacy deserts. This lack of access impacts 5.3 million women and 350,000 live births annually, severely limiting basic healthcare treatment1.
- Preparedness: Only 50% of pregnant people felt prepared going into the prenatal stage, and just 38% felt prepared in the postpartum stage2.
- Maternal morbidity and health gaps: Maternal mortality rates for Black mothers are more than three times higher than those for white mothers, with many of these deaths being preventable. The preterm birth rate was 10.4% in 2023, earning a D+ rating from the March of Dimes1.
Parenting & working:
- Mental health challenges: 62% of parents say that being a parent has been harder than expected, with 40% considering quitting their jobs. Additionally, 56% report having little to no support in raising their children3.
- Balancing work and parenting: 91% of people cite at least one major challenge when returning to work after having a child3.
Menopause and aging:
- Access: An estimated 1.1 billion women worldwide will be in menopause this year (2025), with 20% of the workforce in some stage of menopause transition. However, only one in five U.S. resident doctors receive formal training in menopause4.
- Impact on work: Just 8% of respondents received significant support from their employer for menopause-related symptoms, and 80% cited menopause as a workplace challenge, with more than half considering an employment change because of it5.
Employer benefits of supporting women's health
Supporting women's health in the workplace can lead to numerous benefits for employers:
- Improved employee satisfaction: Carrot has a 92% overall member satisfaction and a 95% member satisfaction with their Carrot Expert Chats feature6.
- Enhanced productivity and reduced absenteeism: Companies with high employee engagement are 21% more profitable, and 9 out of 10 Carrot members return to work after pregnancy7.
- Positive company culture and reputation: Providing comprehensive women's health support fosters a positive company culture and enhances the organization's reputation.
Carrot: A comprehensive solution for women's health
Carrot is trusted by over 1,000 customers worldwide to design, enable, and clinically manage family-building benefits, making fertility and hormonal healthcare accessible to everyone, everywhere. Carrot's comprehensive solution delivers industry-leading cost savings for employers and award-winning experiences for millions of members worldwide.
Services and resources offered by Carrot:
- Planning: Support for planning for parenthood, pregnancy, adoption, and more.
- Fertility: IVF, IUI, preservation, and other fertility treatments.
- Pregnancy and postpartum: Comprehensive care and support for pre- and postnatal journeys, including postpartum.
- Parenting and returning to work: Guidance and resources for parenting children age newborn to 12 years and support for balancing work and parenting.
- Hormonal health: Support for perimenopause and menopause, low testosterone, and gender-affirming care.
Employers get access to Carrot and all benefits from the Alight Worklife platform, Carrot-curated content, and expanded support for fertility, family-building, and hormonal health benefits.
Carrot offers a complete care approach through Carrot Academy educational resources, real-time guidance from Carrot Companions and Carrot Experts, CarrotMatch for high-quality provider guidance and steerage, global expertise, concierge medication management via Carrot Rx, and all-inclusive financial enablement with Carrot Card.
Alight and Carrot partnership
Leveraging Alight’s experience in the benefits space, Carrot is our partner for fertility, family-building, maternity, and hormonal health. Together, Alight and Carrot provide comprehensive benefits and streamlined access to top-tier providers for members and seamless contracting and implementation for employers.
Benefits and goals of the collaboration:
- For employers: Efficient contracting, consolidated billing, enhanced reporting, and streamlined implementation.
- For members: Access to Carrot and all benefits from the Alight Worklife platform, Carrot-curated content, and expanded support for fertility, family-building, and hormonal health benefits.
The partnership aims to deliver clear and measurable cost savings by making it easy for clients to offer fertility benefits that drive down costs through healthier clinical outcomes and offer a comprehensive benefit solution that meets the needs of both clients and employees.
Promoting women's health in the workplace is essential for cultivating a positive and productive work environment.
Employers can significantly benefit from partnering with Alight and Carrot, ensuring their employees receive the best possible care and support. By prioritizing women's health, employers can improve employee satisfaction, retention, and overall company culture.
Wellbeing
Redefine employee wellbeing. Holistic wellbeing designed for your unique employee needs.
1 https://www.marchofdimes.org/maternity-care-deserts-report
2 https://www.get-carrot.com/blog/maternal-health-in-the-workplace-a-report-from-carrot-fertility
3 https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/ten_changes_new_parents_face
5 https://www.get-carrot.com/blog/menopause-in-the-workplace-2024-a-report-from-carrot-fertility
6 https://www.get-carrot.com/for-employers
7 https://hbr.org/2024/01/how-companies-can-support-employees-experiencing-menopause
