Dr. Marie-Renée B-Lajoie wears many hats — partner at McKinsey & Company, emergency physician, mother — and she brings all those perspectives to her work on women’s health. As a co-author of McKinsey’s new report Closing the women’s health gap: Canada’s $37 billion opportunity, she believes the findings reveal both an urgent challenge and an extraordinary opportunity.
“Addressing women’s health is the next frontier we need to tackle to ensure that all women in our country can achieve their full potential,” says Dr. B-Lajoie. “And this report is only the beginning.”
A stalled frontier in gender parity
Canada has long been recognized as a leader in gender equality. Yet, as Dr. B-Lajoie notes, progress on parity has slowed — and women’s health remains an overlooked piece of the puzzle. The new McKinsey Health Institute analysis shows women in Canada spend 24 percent more of their lives in poor health than men, often during their prime working years.
“We live long, but this time is not necessarily spent in good health,” she says.
Many assume the gap is driven mainly by reproductive or menopausal issues, but the data tells another story: less than 5 percent of the gap comes from sexual and reproductive issues. The main drivers are cancer, cardiovascular disease, and mental and brain health — conditions that affect women differently than men or disproportionately more.
The ripple effect — from households to the economy
Dr. B-Lajoie illustrates the issue with a simple example: imagine “Jenny in Sudbury,” a working mother living with recurrent migraines.
“When she’s not well, she can’t help her kids, can’t go to work, and may struggle financially,” Dr. B-Lajoie explains. Over time, she adds, the ripple effects can reach families, communities, and the broader economy.
The numbers back it up. Closing the women’s health gap could add $37 billion a year to Canada’s GDP by 2040 — roughly the size of the country’s entire agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting sectors. The finding underscores the scale of the lost potential when women’s health is overlooked.
A week of health for every woman
According to McKinsey’s findings, improving women’s health could give every Canadian woman one extra week of good health each year.
“Think about that,” Dr. B-Lajoie says. “Twenty-plus million women — each with a week more of feeling healthy, engaged, and able to participate fully. That’s transformative.”
The path forward: data and coordination
Asked where change will make the biggest difference, Dr. B-Lajoie is clear: start with data.
“Unless we know what we’re fixing and track the impact, we’ll be left in the dark,” she says, noting that only 7 percent of Canadian research funding currently goes to women’s health.
Beyond research, she emphasizes the need for a coordinated, all-hands-on-deck approach — linking health systems, workplaces, investors, policymakers, and citizens.
“When you see that the value comes from many different levers — a lot of different conditions and stakeholders — it means we need coherent, concerted action,” she says. “That calls for coalitions and coordination.”
From awareness to action
For Dr. B-Lajoie, this is a moment for leadership.
“We are the generation that no longer has to fight for the right to vote or to open a bank account. Now it’s time to fight for our health,” she says. “Canada has the talent, the capacity, and the power to lead this agenda.”
As Women’s Health Collective Canada leverages these insights to raise national awareness about the economic and human impact of women’s health, that effort is being made possible with the support of partners including Desjardins Insurance, Hologic Canada, and Organon Canada — organizations that share the belief that investing in women’s health is investing in Canada’s future.
“At Desjardins, we deeply believe that every woman deserves to be supported in her health, well-being, and financial confidence — at every stage of life,” says Chantal Gagné, Executive Vice-President, Life and Health Insurance, Desjardins. “Together, we’re helping build a future where women feel supported.”
Dr. B-Lajoie hopes this report will help spark a sustained national effort.
“Every week of health we add for Canadian women means lives improved and communities strengthened,” she says. “Everyone wins if we commit to this.”