Neo Marketing Co., Ltd.
“Survey on the status of women’s health literacy”
As for “menstrual leave”, one in two people feel that “even if there is a system, it is actually difficult to apply.”
Neo Marketing Co., Ltd. (location: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo), which supports consumer-oriented research and marketing with the Japan Femtech Association, will be held from November 8, 2022 (Tuesday) to November 9, 2022 (Wednesday). For two days, we conducted internet research on the theme of “understanding the actual situation of women’s health literacy” targeting men and women aged 20 and over nationwide. -Survey Background-
In recent years, while gender equality is being called for, society is changing, albeit little by little, into a society that accepts diversity. As people have become more tolerant of new values, it has become easier for them to raise their voices about sexual and menstrual concerns, which used to be taboo. In this trend, businesses such as “FemTech”, which refers to products and services that use technology to solve women’s health problems, are also attracting attention worldwide.
Therefore, this time, we conducted a survey on women’s specific health issues (phenomenon/symptoms) and their knowledge of related systems, their own stances, etc., in connection with the actual situation at their place of employment. Please use it as a reference for your future marketing activities.
[Table 3: https://prtimes.jp/data/corp/3149/table/320_1_285bc845ea92e900337d04dffee11a90.jpg ]
[Survey overview]
1. Survey method: Questionnaire site “I Research” operated by Neo Marketing Co., Ltd.
Conducted by web questionnaire method using the system
2. Survey target: Men and women aged 20 to 69 nationwide among eye research registered monitors
3. Number of valid responses: 1,000 (of which 681 are employed) * Calculated based on the 2020 national census
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Four. Survey implementation date: November 8, 2022 (Tuesday) to November 9, 2022 (Wednesday)
◆ “Survey to Understand the Current Status of Women’s Health Literacy” Main Questions and Answers
[Table 4: https://prtimes.jp/data/corp/3149/table/320_2_a47ec894b4e4f49a61fb3f7516d82030.jpg ]
■ Work system (n=681)
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We asked employees about the system of the company where they work. In addition, this time, in order to question the recognition of the system itself, we asked whether it is mandatory under the Labor Standards Act such as “childcare leave” or “postpartum leave”, as well as voluntary systems.
The first figure shows the rankings in order of whether or not there is a system in place (answers “I don’t know”).
In addition, the second to fourth graphs summarize the presence or absence of systems in the top 3 rankings by the number of employees. The top 3 in the “I don’t know if there is” ranking are “leave for infertility treatment”, “leave for menopause” and “menstrual leave”. It is understandable that even women have little interest in “leave for fertility treatment” and “leave for menopause” due to differences in life stages, etc., but all working women are likely to be involved. Isn’t it surprising that menstrual leave is in the top 3?
■ Ease of applying for your employer’s system
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We asked those who answered “there is a system” for each of the above questions, “The system at your place of employment (n=681),” about how easy it is to apply for the system. The first figure shows the rankings in order of difficulty in applying for the system (answers “difficult to apply (I think it is difficult)”).
Similar to the top 3 rankings of “I don’t know if they exist” posted in the question “Workplace system (n = 681)” above, “leave for infertility treatment”, “leave for menopause”, and “menstrual leave” were listed in the TOP 3. I was. However, the order is different, and in terms of difficulty in applying, “menstrual leave” has a
prominently high percentage of 52.6%. (“Leave for menopause” and “Leave for fertility treatment” were 36.6% and 36.5%, respectively.) Based on the results of the previous question, “Your company’s system (n=681),” and the results of this question, we do not know whether or not there is a system for “menstrual leave,” which is likely to be related to all working women. However, the situation that it is actually difficult to apply has been highlighted.
■ Reasons why it is difficult to apply for menstrual leave (n=81) [Image 4
We asked the respondents who answered that it was “difficult to apply” for menstrual leave in the previous question, “Ease of applying for the system at your workplace,” and asked them why they found it difficult to apply.
The figure above shows the ranking of the responses for each gender. (In consideration of the fact that some companies have voluntary systems for menstrual leave, we included men in the survey this time. There is no medical basis for menstruation. .)
When comparing the results between men and women, there was a difference in reasons such as “Because menstrual leave is unpaid” and “Because evaluation is likely to decline.” Especially for the former, males ranked 6th with 11.1%, while females ranked 3rd with 26.7%. Although the main reason is that the application is awkward and there is no precedent for the surroundings, “unpaid leave” means “I endure going to work (because I can’t take frequent breaks)” and “I can’t do it. I think this is a major factor in creating the reality that even if you do it, you will still be able to work somehow. It can be said that this is an extremely inappropriate situation from the standpoint of business productivity and from the standpoint of the company’s obligation to take care of safety.
■ Awareness of provisions under the Labor Standards Act (n=1,000) [Image 5
For each leave, we asked employees who knew that there were provisions in the Labor Standards Act, and based on the results, created a ranking of “I don’t know that there are provisions in the Labor Standards Act (low awareness)”. Did.
“Menstrual leave”, which ranked first in the “Ranking of not knowing if it exists” posted in the question “Workplace system (n = 681)”, also took the top spot here. Moreover, the percentage is as high as 74.9%.
Menstrual leave is a statutory holiday stipulated in Article 68 of the Labor Standards Act, and if an employee declares that it is difficult to work, it must be taken. It is illegal to force someone to come to work or refuse to accept a claim.
Even though it is a legitimate leave stipulated by law, menstruation is something that cannot be rested, something that is endured, something that is hidden, and a taboo. There may be many people who recognize it as a “special vacation”.
■ Understanding of female-specific phenomena/symptoms (n=1,000) [Image 6
We asked them how much they thought they understood each phenomenon and symptoms peculiar to women.
The graph above shows the total percentage of “I understand the content” and “I understand the content a little”.
Comparing the ratio of men and women, you can see that there is a difference of 20 points or more overall. Among them, the difference in the degree of understanding was the largest for “physiology
(menstruation)”, which was 27.3 points.
■ Necessity to understand phenomena/symptoms peculiar to women (n=1,000) [Image 7
We asked them how much they felt they needed to deepen their understanding of phenomena and symptoms that are unique to women. The graph above shows the total ratio of “I need to deepen my understanding” and “I need to deepen my understanding a little”. Comparing the ratios of men and women, there was almost no difference in the four categories of “menstruation (menstruation),” “pregnancy,” “childbirth,” and “infertility.” Regarding these, it can be seen that not only women but also men who have phenomena and symptoms have a positive feeling about deepening their own understanding.
■ Level of workplace understanding of phenomena/symptoms peculiar to women (n=279)
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We asked 279 female employees how much they felt that their workplaces understood the phenomena and symptoms peculiar to women.
The graph above shows the percentage of respondents who answered that they were not understood (total of “not very understood” and “not understood”).
It seems that “menopausal symptoms and menopausal disorders” are the least understood in the workplace. Also, when compared by age group, the percentage of people in their 20s decreased overall. There are phenomena, symptoms, and life stages that are not experienced at the age of 20 to 29, so there is a difference in the degree of interest. ■ Expectations for understanding phenomena/symptoms peculiar to women in the workplace (n=279)
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We asked working female employees how much they would like their workplaces to understand the phenomena and symptoms peculiar to women. The graph above shows the total ratio of “I want you to understand” and “I want you to understand a little more”.
Overall, the ratio is about 80% to 90%, and it can be seen that most of the female workers are seeking understanding of each phenomenon and symptom from the workplace. Regarding “infertility” and “menstruation (menstruation),” there was a large difference by age group among women, with the former having a maximum difference of 16.2 points and the latter having a maximum difference of 16.7 points.
■ Understanding of technology terms (n=1,000)
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For each term, we asked what applies to your level of understanding. Less than 10% of respondents said they had heard of and understood the meaning of each term. “Femtech” (*), which is related to the theme of this survey, “women’s health,” is a field that has attracted worldwide attention in recent years, but it seems that it is still not well known.
* A coined word combining Female and Technology. It refers to goods (products) and services that use technology to solve health issues faced by women. Specifically, there are efforts to improve menstrual pain, predict the menstrual cycle, prevent infertility, improve QOL during pregnancy, improve menopausal disorders, and care for diseases peculiar to women.
■ Japan Femtech Association “Naoko Yamada” comment
The word and concept of “Femtech” has attracted attention as one of “flexible self-care that can be used at home” in the wake of the epidemic of the new coronavirus. In addition, companies are gradually increasing their efforts to improve women’s health literacy so that women can independently develop their careers and play an active role in health management and SDGs. Rather than simply achieving numerical targets such as women in managerial positions and the number of parliamentary seats, there is a growing trend of emphasizing that “everyone has equal opportunities and rights regardless of gender.” This time, we conducted a fact-finding survey on “women’s health literacy in the workplace” as the introduction of systems related to “women’s unique health issues” is spreading. As a result, even though anyone can take menstrual leave, they do not understand that there is a system, and even if there is a system, 52.6% of women feel that it is actually difficult to apply. The actual situation has become clear. This indicates that there is a lack of progress in understanding and addressing “women’s unique health issues” at workplaces.
The reason why it is difficult to apply is that it is “unpaid leave”. This is considered to be a major factor in creating the reality of “going to work with patience”, but this will reduce the performance of working women. It can be said that the current situation is that women themselves and those around them still have the perception that “menstruation” is “something to endure,” “something to hide,” and “something taboo.”
We also learned that the item that is least understood in the workplace is “menopausal symptoms/disorders.” It is clear that there is an urgent need to understand not only menstruation but also “pregnancy” and “menopausal symptoms / menopausal disorders” that women are likely to face as they continue to work.
Regarding “understanding of phenomena/symptoms peculiar to women”, although the number of men’s understanding is low, it is positive and noteworthy that the percentage of men who want to understand is almost the same as that of women. .
In such a situation, it is essential for women themselves, as well as men who work with women, to raise their “women’s health literacy” in order to work smoothly. I hope that this will be incorporated into corporate training so that we can raise awareness of this, and that more efforts will be made to focus on the health of women in welfare programs.
■ Profile of Naoko Yamada
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After planning and developing underwear at a major underwear manufacturer, became independent as the world’s first underwear concierge. Established Silky Style Co., Ltd. for 17 years, planning and developing products such as innerwear, cosmetics, and health goods that address women’s unique concerns. In 2021, he established the Japan Femtech Association together with doctors, business people, medical journalists, and career consultants. As a representative director, she is working to spread awareness of the importance of women’s health literacy in order to stay close to women’s unique fluctuations through magazines, TV, companies, and governments. Mother of two boys. (Representative Director of Silky Style Co., Ltd. / Representative Director of Japan Femtech Association)
■ Other questions in this survey
・Experience participating in seminars and training related to women’s health (multiple answers possible)
・Does your company have seminars and training programs related to women’s health? (Single answer)
・People you usually consult about symptoms peculiar to women (multiple answers) ・Basic information (current marital status, presence or absence of children, etc.)
■ Click here for the survey service used in this survey
Online research: https://neo-m.jp/research-service/netresearch/ ■ Request for credit notation when quoting or reprinting
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URL: https://neo-m.jp/
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