Coping With Women’s Menstruation-Related Health Issues in Male-Dominated Companies: A Cross-Sectional Study in Japan

Abstract

Background and objectives: Japanese women face many female-specific health problems in the workplace, especially menstruation-related issues, which can adversely affect their quality of life and productivity. This study aims to examine how female employees in a male-dominated company in Hiroshima, Japan, cope with menstruation-related health issues in the workplace and the factors that influence their coping strategies. Materials and methods: This study used a cross-sectional survey research method. The survey investigated age, health, and menstrual-related issues, as well as women's active participation support and health literacy (HL) levels. The sample population included employees of a manufacturer in Hiroshima prefecture. The data were collected from February 20 to March 10, 2023. The analysis subjects were 171 women who had experienced menstruation-related, women-specific health issues in the workplace. Their attitudes toward menstruation-related issues could influence their experiences. They were categorized into positive and negative groups based on their attitudes toward coping with women's health issues. Chi-square tests and logistic regression analysis were used to compare the two groups. Results: The study found that 50.3% (N = 296) of female employees had experienced women's menstruation-related health issues at work. As many as 62.6% (N = 171) of female employees showed a positive attitude, and the study also found that female employees with a positive attitude toward menstruation-related health issues had higher HL (odds ratio (OR) = 1.216, 95% CI: 1.007-0.1.468) and were more likely to be able to predict menstruations (OR = 4.528, 95% CI: 1.618-12.670). Conclusions: In male-dominated companies, many female employees are affected by menstruation-related problems in the workplace. A positive attitude toward women's health issues was positively associated with HL and predictive ability. Male-dominated companies should pay attention to women's menstruation-related health issues in the workplace, implement interventions to improve their health literacy and predictive ability, strengthen communication with them, and encourage them to actively participate in women's health initiatives.