February 24, 2022 11:11 am EDT

Organon (NYSE: OGN), a global women’s health company, is designating International Women’s Day (IWD) on March 8 as a day to recognize the growing health disparities women face that have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Since its inception, IWD has focused on accelerating gender parity. Organon recognizes the need for a global effort to address her health and is starting with its own employees by providing paid time off this year to attend to their own health needs.

Research shows that the corona crisis is hitting women harder than men. In addition to unemployment and poverty, women are also more burdened privately by crisis and the measures taken, conclude HealthyWomen and the Dutch SER after research by, among others, McKinsey. In a survey, 78% of women said they usually put their own healthcare needs, such as scheduling doctor’s appointments, aside to focus on taking care of their family and other priorities.

“Organon launched with a commitment to listen to the needs of women and as part of our research, we learned that women are finding it harder than ever to make the time to care for even their most basic health needs,” said Kevin Ali, chief executive officer, Organon. “As a company investing in innovation to improve women’s health, I felt a responsibility to address this within our own global community of almost 9,500 employees.

”Petra Willems, Managing Director Organon Benelux, adds: “This year, the symbolic action we are taking is to encourage all our employees (men and women) to spend a day off to make a commitment to their own health and/or the health of the women in their lives. Whether that’s thinking about how you can improve your health or relaxing for a day. This includes more than 2,000 employees of Organon at the production sites and offices in the Benelux countries.”

By improving the understanding of women’s health needs, we are one step closer to eliminating the inequity gap. Organon invites organizations in The Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg and across the globe to join in raising awareness of the inequity in women’s health and to adopt initiatives that help women prioritize their health.

Sources:

HealthyWomen

SER

McKinsey & Company (Women in the Workplace 2021)