Costing the region an estimated $575 billion a year, the gender employment gap continues to obstruct economic progress and prosperity across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). At present, the region holds one of the lowest female labor force participation rates in the world (19 percent regionally compared to the global average of 40 percent)—including the smallest national female participation rate of any country not at war, with Jordan’s rate of just 17 percent. Meanwhile, rising turnover and unemployment rates highlight the difficulties women face in finding safe and flexible employment that enables them to maintain their health and wellbeing, achieve work-life balance, and pursue both personal and professional aspirations.
Central to this issue is the conflict between women’s maternal responsibilities and their professional ambitions. Cultural expectations that continue to place the primary burden of childcare on women make it difficult for many to balance domestic duties with the pursuit of gainful employment. At the same time, the absence of flexible policies and accommodations in the workplaces pressures many others to sacrifice their careers in accordance with their values, which prioritize family and family wellbeing over the individual and individual wellbeing. Together, these conflicts contribute to perhaps one of the more overlooked causes of women’s decreased presence in the workplace: the high prevalence of postpartum depression (PPD).
Postpartum Depression: A Consequence and Catalyst of Gender Inequality at Work
Defined as a mood disorder characterized by periods of intense depression or anxiety that last can last months to even years after childbirth—especially when left untreated—postpartum depression poses a significant threat to the wellbeing of all parents in the Middle East. Afflicting anywhere from 30 to a staggering 60 percent of postpartum women, PPD has even been recorded in up to a quarter of fathers—their risk of which nearly triples when the mother also suffers from the condition.
While the exact cause of PPD is unknown, decades of research have consistently identified high psychological stress and a lack of social support as major risk factors predicting individuals’ susceptibility to the disorder. Conditions like stressful living environments, interpersonal conflicts, inadequate access to healthcare, and poor physical health have all been linked to PPD, as they heighten psychological stress and reflect inadequate support. By the same token, occupational hazards are also increasingly recognized as potential drivers of PPD, as factors like demanding workloads and low job control, toxic leadership and management styles, hostile working relationships, and low recognition and reward all exacerbate employees’ stress levels and diminish their overall wellbeing.
Underscoring this correlation, studies show that of the more than 70 percent of female employees who have taken or who plan to take a career break in the coming year—primarily for postpartum recovery— less than half are likely to return, despite more than 80 percent harboring high career ambitions. With a lack of support, childcare and safety concerns, inflexible arrangements, and difficulty performing tasks among the reasons cited for this decision, the implications of these findings are profound: revealing a hostile and unsupportive work environment where women are forced to either abandon their cherished careers for the sake of their wellbeing or remain at the expense of their health and postpartum recovery, placing them at an increased risk of complications like postpartum depression.
Thus, the incentive to create a safe and nurturing workplace environment for postpartum employees could not be clearer. Not only is such a workplace essential for retaining talent, but it also crucial for safeguarding both staff and the organization from the damaging effects of PPD. For those impacted by postpartum depression, the consequences to their professional wellbeing are vast: Due to changes in mood, appetite, sleep, and overall wellbeing, many individuals with PPD experience noticeable declines in their performance, productivity, and engagement at work. They have a hard time concentrating on tasks, and become more prone to accidents or mistakes. They are more easily agitated and face strained relationships with their peers, on top of already being excluded, judged, or antagonized. Their critical-thinking and decision-making abilities are impaired, as are their capacities for creativity and innovation. And as their—and their organization’s—performance declines, their absenteeism rates and healthcare costs go up.
“As such, part of creating that safe and inclusive environment for postpartum staff involves raising awareness about what PPD is, what it looks like, and what peers, managers, and leaders can all do to mitigate its presence in the workplace,” affirms Sébastien Beurlet, Vice President of Business Solutions, EMEA at Workplace Options. “It requires identifying and responding to psychosocial stressors and other occupational hazards that contribute to the risk of PPD and other impediments to wellbeing. And it necessitates the provision of wellbeing benefits to those experiencing or at risk of PPD.”
Such a multifaceted task demands a multi-pronged strategy to achieve it. To craft such a comprehensive and effective strategy to addressing PPD at the individual and organizational level, employers can look no further than to a holistic wellbeing solutions provider for support.
Tackling Postpartum Depression at Work: Strategies for Creating an Informed, Healthy, and Psychologically Safe Workplace
With the help of a provider like Workplace Options (WPO), employers can gain access to a comprehensive suite of services needed to provide care, assistance, and information to their workforce in order to mitigate the risk of PPD. Starting with the latter, tools like WPO’s extensive catalogue of global learning solutions—together with its manager assistance and leadership development solutions—can provide essential health and safety information to leaders, managers, and peers on:
- Recognizing and responding to signs of mental illness at work
- Supporting colleagues through difficult times
- Intervening and signposting colleagues to the right support
- Appreciating and fostering a sense of inclusion and belonging
- Challenging unconscious bias
And other key concepts associated with a psychologically safe workplace.
Furthermore, trainings on topics like:
- Effective stress management
- Navigating change
- Setting healthy boundaries
- Balance vs. Burnout
- Overcoming parental guilt
- Demystifying counseling
And more…
can provide crucial information to postpartum employees themselves on the importance of maintaining a healthy mindset and lifestyle during postpartum recovery; on how to practice positive coping strategies to manage stress and reduce the risk of depression and anxiety; and how to recognize when to seek professional help.
On the subject of information, support from WPO’s consulting group can also equip organizational leaders with the data and insights needed to develop targeted and impactful wellbeing strategies. With years of industry experience, WPO’s team of expert consultants can assist leaders in crafting and implementing in-depth and relevant questionnaires, workplace stress checks, audits, and more, designed to help leaders identify warning signs of PPD and pinpoint the specific occupational or external stressors that are contributing to employees’ risk.
Once organizations have the data needed to make informed decisions about supporting postpartum employees, they can start to invest in targeted solutions that can help these employees effectively navigate the many challenges they face both in and outside of work, including stressors like:
- Time management
- Work-life balance
- Childcare responsibilities
- Sleep scarcity
- Nutritional deficiencies
- Physical inactivity
- Parental guilt
And more…
With service offerings like life and wellness coaching, postpartum employees may benefit from the guidance of certified coaches experienced in helping individuals develop the skills needed to navigate change and major life transitions, pursue personal and professional goals, maintain work-life balance, practice effective time management, adopt healthy living habits, and successfully cope with stress.
Given the disproportionately heavy burden that childcare responsibilities place on working mothers, providing access to work-life services that offer tailored information and localized referrals designed to help them accomplish key tasks such as:
- Securing reliable and affordable childcare
- Scheduling pediatric appointments
- Locating providers for specialized care
- Meal planning and preparation
- Finding parent support groups
is yet another way for employers to provide targeted support aimed at reducing employees’ risk of stress, anxiety, and postpartum depression.
Offering these services alongside return-to-work support for mothers coming back from maternity or sick leave (in the case of PPD or other complications) is also crucial to ensuring both a full return and their full recovery. With access to a dedicated team of RTW consultants committed to helping employees, their managers, and their teams design effective, mutually-beneficial exit and re-entry strategies, postpartum employees may successfully avoid many of the toxic occupational hazards that undermine their safety and increase their risk of PPD and other mental health challenges, namely discrimination, hostile treatment, alienation, demotion, and even dismissal.
Ultimately, however, when it comes to providing data-driven, targeted support to postpartum employees, securing access to counseling support is paramount. For postpartum employees in particular, not only is short-term, multimodal counseling support essential to promoting utilization and facilitating prompt intervention—enabling them to access care at a time and from a location that is best for them—but extended clinical intervention specifically dedicated to helping employees with significant symptoms or formal diagnoses of depression and anxiety is also crucial to ensuring their complete and long-term recovery. By providing a comprehensive scope of care that addresses both immediate and ongoing concerns, employers can ensure that employees have the emotional tools they need to withstand stress, navigate hormonal changes, readjust to the workplace, and continue to maintain and prioritize their health and wellbeing.
“As we strive to create workplaces that support and empower all employees,” Beurlet emphasizes, “we must prioritize the unique challenges faced by postpartum individuals. By investing in targeted support and fostering an inclusive culture, we not only help these employees to thrive but also enhance the overall growth and prosperity of the organization and the region as a whole.”
Postpartum depression is not something that organizations can nor are expected to resolve on their own; it requires a collective effort from friends, families, healthcare providers, and other key community players to create environments that support the wellbeing of working parents. That being said, to create a work environment—in which working parents spend a third of their day—that safeguards their ability to thrive at work, at home, and in their roles demands proactive and strategic action from employers. Investing in a holistic wellbeing solutions provider that offers comprehensive and integrated support for their emotional, physical, and professional wellbeing is a strong step toward step toward achieving just that.
