CURATED READS FOR GEN Z—AND THEIR Z-CURIOUS COLLEAGUES

first up

Welcome back! This week, we’re measuring the real impact of Gen Z women’s health issues.

Last week, we took a look at how Gen Z spends on health and wellness. This time, we’re focusing on women’s health and the trillion-dollar opportunity that addressing the women’s health gap could offer.
 
Women’s health issues are underfunded, understudied, and therefore, undertreated, according to the findings of a new McKinsey Health Institute report by McKinsey senior partners Kweilin Ellingrud, Lucy Pérez, and coauthors.

Gen Z women are either just beginning to confront some of these issues or have already been dealing with them, which can take a toll on their physical health, mental well-being, and even their careers. 

On the flip side, when women deal with fewer health issues, they are able to increase their economic participation and productivity. Addressing the health gap for women in their 20s alone could add $165 billion to the global economy, our report finds. And addressing specific conditions such as premenstrual syndrome (PMS)—which millions of Gen Z women deal with but is often disregarded as insignificant—has the potential to contribute $115 billion to the global economy. Not so insignificant now, huh?

If you need more proof, consider endometriosis, in which tissue similar to the uterine lining grows outside of the uterus, causing severe pelvic pain. There’s no cure for the 190 million women who report suffering from endometriosis (the real figure could be double that since it can take ten years to get an endometriosis diagnosis). Women with the condition may be less productive at work and may have higher rates of absenteeism. The upshot: based on today’s share of patients seeking treatment, the market potential for endometriosis treatments is estimated to be worth $180 billion to $220 billion globally, the report finds. 

It’s not just women’s reproductive health issues or high morbidity rates that need attention. Issues that disproportionately affect women, such as autoimmune diseases or depression, may not be life-threatening but can disrupt daily life in a major way. 

Healthcare institutions, governments, and investment firms each have a role to play in advancing the science, expanding access to care, and dedicating real money to women’s health. Employers can also do their part to improve the lives of the women within their ranks by finding answers to questions such as, “If there are a disproportionate number of Gen Z or millennial women in our workplace, how do our policies and benefits support—or hurt—them based on their health needs?” and “Are women involved in the decision making around benefits?”

Closing the women’s health gap might be worth $1 trillion to the global economy—but the real impact of achieving health equity? Priceless.

VISUALIZE IT

Generative AI could transform the banking sector, evolving how customer interactions happen and employees do their jobs.

WAIT, DON’T SCROLL

Reading the team leaves. If 2023 was the year of the manager, what will 2024 hold for talent in the workplace?

Be a transit authority. About 14 percent of trade into and out of the United States via waterways sails through the Panama Canal, making it a critical part of the global supply chain.

La-La plan. The largest economy in the US, Los Angeles could embark on a new era of growth if it can overcome its challenges in business, talent, and infrastructure.

NOT US; STILL GREAT

Coworker cheat sheet. An employee “user manual,” which includes someone’s working and communication preferences, could be the key to better working relationships. [Bloomberg]

No cap(italism). Gen Zers support all the underpinnings of capitalism, such as competition, private property, and profits … but not capitalism itself. [Inc]

CROSSWORD

— Edited by Alexandra Mondalek, editor, New York