Portugal study finds workplace inflexibility hampers women's preventive health

A survey of 2,564 employed women in Portugal, carried out by VOH CoLab with CUF, revealed that 58% juggle professional duties with caregiving for dependents. While 74% say they have formal flexibility for medical appointments, only 26% can attend without providing justification or compensating hours. The study highlighted very low participation in essential screenings – over 70% have never had a colonoscopy or fecal occult blood test, and 86% have never undergone a bone‑density scan.

Researchers called for companies to adopt concrete measures such as real‑time leave for health checks, internal health‑promotion campaigns, and on‑site preventive programmes. Rita Marques da Costa of CUF Oncology emphasized that “prevention cannot be seen merely as an individual choice,” and Catarina Rodrigues dos Santos warned that delaying screening “can mean losing valuable clinical time.”