Sex

Certain health conditions that could give rise to sickness absence (such as the female menopause or menstruation) only affect women and sex is a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010 (EA10).

There are well-established differences in sickness absence rates according to sex. Women are more prone to minor illnesses (38.5% compared with 32.7%), while men tend to experience more sickness absence due to musculoskeletal conditions (28% compared with 18.4%), according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Women are also more likely than men to cite mental health conditions as reasons for sickness absence (8.1% of women compared with 5.7% of men). One explanation is that men are less likely to seek medical help for mental health problems than women. Another is that medical professionals are more likely to diagnose women with mental health conditions than men.

There is a growing recognition that issues which typically affect women most should be taken into account by employers when sickness absence is being managed. The TUC says that women should not be disadvantaged because of issues relating to menstruation, pregnancy, miscarriage, disability, or the menopause, by ensuring that they can be treated separately from other sickness absence. Some of these factors (for example, the menopause) and the wider equality framework are considered in Chapter 3. More information is available in the LRD’s guide Women’s health and safety at work.