More than two in five Nigerian women want their employers to provide improved and comprehensive health insurance that covers fertility treatments, breast cancer care, and menopause support, according to a report released by Healthtracka, a digital health platform. The report says that 43.4% of working women across various industries and regions expressed this need in a nationwide survey.
The “State of Women’s Health Report – Nigeria 2025” report, published by Healthtracka’s Foundation for Advocacy, Innovation and Research (FAIR), is the first of its kind, the most comprehensive, data-driven report on women’s health in Nigeria.
The report says that working environments remain poorly attuned to women’s health needs. Menstrual health, fertility treatments, mental health struggles, and chronic conditions are often invisible within company policies and workplace cultures, leaving women to manage these burdens in silence.
Other findings include:
- 67.2% of women report having experienced major health challenges at work at some point in their careers. These issues may include chronic conditions, reproductive health problems or the impact of gender-specific illnesses or their ability to perform at work. However, only 46.8% of men polled acknowledge that their female colleagues face these types of health-related difficulties, highlighting a gap in awareness and understanding at the workplace.
- More than half of women (54.6%) report having taken sick leave at some point due to women-specific health issues, including menstrual disorders, severe period pain, fertility treatment, pregnancy-related complications or menopause symptoms.
Among its key recommendations, the report calls for:
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Expanded insurance coverage to include fertility, reproductive health, and menopause-related care
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Paid leave policies for menstrual and menopausal symptoms
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Training for managers to support women’s health needs without stigma
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Integration of women’s health in core workplace policies
It encourages strategic partnerships with private providers, nonprofits, and research institutions and stresses that women must be at the centre of programme design, policy development, and budget oversight to ensure relevance and impact.
The study on which the report is based was carried out in early 2025. A total of 507 individuals participated, comprising 460 women and 47 men.
To access the report, please click on this link.