Women, well-being, and the resiliency gap

Organizations have made meaningful progress in supporting employee well-being. Yet when we look more closely at how employees experience that support, important differences emerge.

Our latest well-being and resiliency research* reveals a clear pattern:

Women consistently rate employer support lower than men across nearly every measure of well-being and resiliency.

Across questions about whether employers are doing enough, whether resources are effective, whether support helps them bounce back, and whether employees even expect support at all, women’s responses are less favorable than their male counterparts.

That pattern is not random. It is a signal. It suggests that even when benefits and programs are in place, they may not be fully aligned with the lived realities of many women in the workforce.

The gender perception gap

In our study, women were less likely than men to say:

• Their employer is doing enough to support well-being (59% women vs. 66% men)
• Their employer is doing enough to support resiliency (55% vs. 62%)
• Employer-provided resources are very or somewhat effective (50% vs. 59%)
• Their employer helps them bounce back from setbacks (57% vs. 68%)
• They expect their employer to help with well-being at all (38% vs. 48%)

Women were also more likely to seek support outside of work, with 32% citing feeling uncomfortable discussing issues at work as a primary reason.

Why this gap exists

Women are often navigating layered pressures that directly impact resiliency capacity:

• Primary or shared caregiving responsibilities
• Household coordination and financial management
• Career advancement during peak caregiving years
• Higher likelihood of career interruptions

Our broader research reinforces the strain many employees face, which impacts them at work and home:

• Only 35% of employees say they consistently feel resilient
• 48% cite financial pressure as impacting well-being
• 72% report stress or anxiety

Caregiving demands and financial strain frequently intersect. When recovery time shrinks and stress compounds, the ability to bounce back weakens.

From awareness to action

If women are signaling lower confidence in employer support, that presents an opportunity.

A well-being + resiliency approach encourages organizations to evaluate whether their benefits and policies truly enable recovery, not just provide resources.

Key questions employers can consider:

• Are managers equipped to have supportive, psychologically safe conversations with employees around well-being?
• Do our disability and leave programs provide the right structured recovery and enable a successful return to work?
• Do we offer access to supplemental benefits that help reduce financial shock during unexpected events?
• Is flexibility normalized and accessible, particularly for caregivers?
• Are benefits communicated clearly enough to feel usable, not theoretical?

Resiliency should not depend on personal endurance alone. It should be reinforced by workplace systems that provide stability, recovery time, and openness.

Strengthening resiliency through workplace design

Supporting women in the workplace is not about adding more programs. It is about aligning existing benefits, policies, and leadership behaviors so they work together.

Resiliency is not just an individual characteristic. It is an outcome shaped by environment, access, and leadership behavior. Organizations that intentionally design for recovery, flexibility, and financial stability will be better positioned to retain talent, reduce burnout, and support long-term workforce performance.

Source: New York Life Group Benefit Solutions survey conducted by Morning Consult between November 21 – December 3, 2025 among a sample of 2002 U.S. employees and 400 employers in the private sector or government. The interviews were conducted online and the data was weighted to approximate a target sample based on gender. Results from the full survey have a margin of error of plus or minus two percentage points.

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