A persistent gender gap in workplace health claims continues to emerge, despite growing employer investment in health and well-being support. New data from Healix Health shows that men make 28% fewer health claims than women, raising questions about engagement with available benefits.
Analysis of claims data from 1st June 2024 and 31st May 2026 shows men consistently make 28% fewer claims than women overall across all conditions. This includes mental health, where men make up to 37% fewer claims than women across all age groups, rising to 41% fewer among under-29s. Other findings include:
– Men under 30 are the lowest users of health benefits overall, except for mental health, where engagement consistently exceeds that of men over 50
Gender-specific pathways show a particularly large split, with women accounting for 88% of claims versus 12% for men, partly because men’s issues often surface through related medical conditions rather than dedicated services
– MSK is the only area where men engage more than women (26% vs 19% of claims), suggesting men are most likely to engage when symptoms are physical, visible and affect day-to-day life
Keira Wallis, Head of Clinical Operations at Healix Health, said:
“What stands out in this data isn’t the gap itself, but the fact that it has barely moved in two years, even as employers have invested heavily in improving access, flexibility and communication around health benefits. That suggests that the problem isn’t availability. It’s that the way we talk about workplace health simply isn’t resonating with a lot of men.
The one area where men consistently engage more than women is musculoskeletal support, which suggests they respond far better when healthcare is framed around something tangible and practical, like staying active, recovering well and performing at their best, rather than the more general language of wellbeing that tends to dominate. If employers want to close this gap, they need to think as carefully about how they position and communicate healthcare as they do about the benefits themselves.”
