4.4 Ensure that benefits—such as medical coverage, tuition reimbursement and retirement savings—are equally accessible to male and female employees
Content
Description of Best Practices
Ensure medical benefits cover both male and female employees and that health issues specific to both men and women are covered
Ensure both men and women can enroll family members when family medical care is offered
Offer tuition reimbursement to both men and women as well as for their family members
Provide equal opportunity to women and men to participate in retirement plans
Assess gender disparities in participation and usage of benefits using sex disaggregated data and equity and impact analysis tools
Challenges of Implementation
Culturally, women may not report certain health issues or may be denied treatment
Disproportionate unpaid care work responsibilities may impact women’s ability to use tuition reimbursement benefits
What Success Looks Like
Sex disaggregated data show that men and women use benefits at similar rates
If data show disparate impact, corrective measures are taken
Resources and Tools
Report/Study: State of the World’s Fathers 2021: Structural Solutions to Achieve Equality in Care Work (Equimundo-US)
Report/Study: A Review of the Evidence on How to Cover all Families for Paid Family and Medical Leave (WORLD Policy Analysis Center)
Article: 4 Policies That Encourage a Family-Friendly Company Culture (Justworks)