This International Women’s Day, 8 March 2025, employers are being urged to ensure women working overseas are supported in the specific challenges they face.

Sarah Dennis, head of international at Towergate Employee Benefits, says: “Many women working abroad find they are in different circumstances compared to their male counterparts, and to their colleagues based in the UK. Employers need to be aware of these and they need to put measures in place to address disparities, and support their female employees abroad.”

Towergate Employee Benefits’ research shows that of those companies with overseas employees, well under half (41%) feel they are offering enough gender-specific support. Only a third (33%) believe line managers feel able to provide gender-specific support, and only 34% measure the success of this support.

Sarah Dennis comments: “While overseas employers tell us a very similar story to UK employers in terms of not offering enough gender-specific health and wellbeing support, working abroad is very different and it is important that the issues for women overseas are fully understood.”

Cultural differences to be considered

Culturally there can be challenges that are specific to women working in other countries, where attitudes towards the roles and responsibilities of women may differ. These can impact women mentally and also physically. A British woman working in the Middle East, for example, may find that she is more limited than her male counterparts when it comes to socialising. It can be frowned upon for women to mix with men outside of their immediate family, and although legal restrictions on clothing have now been lifted in many areas, wearing anything deemed ‘immodest’ can cause significant upset.

 Research is required for safety

Researching local customs will aid women’s safety when working abroad. Knowing how to dress appropriately, how to keep personal information secure, and which areas to avoid particularly at night, are all good measures. Having access to support and knowing how to contact emergency services in the location are also vital.

Differing healthcare provision must be aligned

Healthcare provision in each country can depend on a great many factors. There may be religious and cultural barriers. For example, shame may be associated with breast cancer in some societies, like China, where it is linked with bad karma and bad feng shui. The physical availability of medical provision for women can be different by nation too. While many countries, particularly high-income ones like the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, offer free national breast screening programmes, more than 25 countries, mainly in African and Asia, do not even have radiotherapy services. So employers need to be aware of the situation in each specific country where their employees are based and implement the necessary provision of care to level up any inconsistencies.

All aspects must be addressed

Employers must consider all of these issues – safety, healthcare and cultural differences – in order to put the most appropriate health and wellbeing support in place for their female employees working overseas. This is a significant task, particularly if a company has employees in a number of countries, where the rules, regulations and provision may differ significantly from place to place. Expert advice should be sought, and local knowledge can be invaluable in truly understanding the issues faced.

Sarah Dennis concludes: “Employers must look to plug any gaps and level up the specific challenges their female employees abroad may face, by implementing a full and rounded health and wellbeing programme. Moreover, as our research shows, this needs to incorporate gender-specific support.”

www.towergatehealthandprotection.co.uk/business/international-business