The biggest barrier to female leadership isn’t experience. It’s a workplace that doesn’t consider women’s wellness

At a recent leadership dialogue jointly organised by the Singapore Council of Women’s Organisations (SCWO), Boardagender and DKSH Healthcare, I asked a room full of accomplished women leaders a simple question: What comes to mind when you think about women’s health?

The answers came quickly: Menopause. Fertility. Sleep. Mental health. Heart health. Then I asked a second question: How many of your organisations have workplace policies or conversations that meaningfully support women through these experiences? The room fell silent.

That moment stayed with me, because it captured a contradiction many women experience. We are increasingly talking about developing women leaders, yet we rarely talk about one of the biggest influencing factors: their health.

When these conversations do happen, they usually centre on pregnancy and maternity. These are important, but they are only one chapter in a much longer story. Disparities in healthcare still exist, especially in issues that affect mainly or only women1, such as menstruation, breast cancer, perimenopause and menopause. These health issues can affect energy, confidence, sleep and overall well-being, yet many women continue to navigate them quietly.

According to the World Economic Forum, women carry a higher health burden across their peak working years. Women spent 25 per cent more time in poor health compared to men, amounting to approximately nine years. More importantly, 65 per cent of this health gap affects her working years. This adds up to about US$1 trillion that could be added to the global economy each year, by closing the gap in women’s healthcare by 2040.

As a trained pharmacist, and throughout my corporate career in healthcare, I’ve seen how women often put everyone else’s needs before their own. We deliver for our bosses, support our colleagues and lead our teams, all while often postponing our own health until symptoms become impossible to ignore. This isn’t simply a healthcare issue. It has become a leadership issue.

When talented women step back, organisations lose far more than an employee. They lose experience, institutional knowledge and future leaders. The answer isn’t to create special treatment for women – it is to recognise that supporting women’s health is part of supporting talent.

We can start by normalising these conversations at work. Leaders can create psychologically safe workplaces where women feel comfortable seeking support. Organisations can review whether their health benefits, flexible work arrangements and well-being initiatives reflect the realities that women face across different life stages and health conditions, not just during pregnancy.

Perhaps most importantly, we need to challenge the idea that suffering in silence is simply part of being a woman.

Women’s health is not a niche issue. It affects workforce participation, leadership pipelines and business performance. If we are serious about retaining experienced women and developing the next generation of female leaders, then we must be equally serious about creating workplaces that support women throughout their entire health journey.

A huge part of my work at DKSH Healthcare is centred around advancing women’s health. It means fostering greater awareness, encouraging earlier conversations, and creating environments where women feel supported to seek care without stigma. It is a responsibility we are committed to, and one I hope more organisations will embrace.

Because when women are healthy enough to thrive, they are empowered to lead. And when more women lead, organisations, communities and economies are stronger for it.