Nestlé Joins Coalition to Address Women's Healthcare Gap

Women spend a greater proportion of their lives in poor health, with the World Economic Forum stating they live 25% more of their lives in ill health compared to men.

Addressing this disparity is a focus for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the UN's sexual and reproductive health agency, which works to improve women's health and related rights.

The UNFPA's work is guided by three primary objectives: achieving zero unmet need for family planning, zero preventable maternal deaths, and zero gender-based violence and harmful practices.

To extend this mission into the corporate world, the UNFPA and its partners have established The Coalition for Reproductive Justice in Business (CRJB).

The coalition's purpose is to integrate the reproductive-health agenda into corporate strategy, helping to ensure businesses provide adequate maternal-health support, access to family planning information, and a response to gender-based violence.

Corporate responsibility in reproductive rights

The CRJB highlights that with over 190 million women employed in global supply chains, the private sector holds a significant position to influence reproductive rights.

This influence extends beyond direct employees to customers, suppliers and the wider community.

The main goal is to guide the private sector in applying policies for sexual and reproductive health and rights, thereby improving the standards for women in professional environments.

Businesses can contribute by offering maternal-health and family-planning services and tackling gender-based violence.

Other supportive actions include:

• enabling flexible working for menstrual and menopause symptoms
• creating safe spaces with reporting channels
• providing onsite reproductive-health services
• training staff as peer educators.

Data from the CRJB finds that 37% of countries globally do not guarantee paid employment leave for both parents following childbirth.

Furthermore, while 67% of countries have laws on sexual harassment in the workplace, it is thought that nearly 75% of such incidents go unreported.

Nestlé's commitment to women's health

To address these issues, Nestlé has joined the CRJB, reinforcing its commitment to supporting women's health.

"We are proud to join this initiative and collaborate with UNFPA and other coalition members to redefine how businesses address women's health," says Serena Aboutboul, Global Head of Nutrition Division at Nestlé.

"From maternal health to menopause, our commitment is unwavering.

"We provide tailored nutrition solutions, ensure respectful workplace conditions and increase support to women.

"When women thrive, families, communities and economies flourish."

By joining the coalition, Nestlé intends to help strengthen corporate action, aligning with the UNFPA's scorecard of metrics for women's health in the workplace.

Nestlé has already implemented measures to support motherhood, providing up to six months of maternity leave, 400 breastfeeding rooms globally, access to childcare facilities and postnatal reintegration programmes.

Nestlé also provides support for menopause, offering flexible working hours, practical adjustments to workplace conditions and access to medical guidance.

Advancing measurable standards

The involvement of companies like Nestlé is seen as a crucial step in creating tangible change.

"We welcome companies taking concrete steps to strengthen women's health and rights in the workplace," says Mariarosa Cutillo, UNFPA Private Sector and Civil Society Branch Chief.

"By joining the Coalition, Nestlé signals its commitment to advancing measurable standards and supporting a future where women's health is recognised as central to business success and societal well-being."

The coalition's work supports the UN's Sustainable Development Goals, specifically those related to Good Health and Wellbeing and Gender Equality.

The actions taken by member companies could provide a framework for broader corporate responsibility, showing how targeted policies on women's health can be integrated into business operations.

This focus on measurable standards and collaborative action is central to creating work environments where women's health is prioritised, which could contribute to wider economic and societal benefits.