Every year, World Mental Health Day reminds us that mental health is not separate from the way we live or work. Yet, when workplace mental health is discussed, the conversation often centers on stress, burnout, anxiety and work-life balance as if employees experience these challenges in the same way. For women, particularly, mental health is shaped by a complex intersection of professional expectations, caregiving responsibilities, safety, career progression, financial independence and social expectations. These realities influence not just how women experience work, but also their progress.
The 2026 Best Companies for Women in India (an annual study by Avtar & Seramount) findings make this particularly relevant. The 11th edition revealed a decline in women’s representation – from 35.7% to 34.6%, while representation at the corporate executive level has fallen from 20% to 16.7%.
The numbers reflect a different kind of progress – one that is not linear. But beyond progress, they also raise a fundamental and significant question: Are we listening to the experiences enough that influence women’s decisions to stay and progress at work?
The invisible load women carry.
Women’s participation in the workforce has grown, but greater participation has not always meant an equal distribution of the responsibilities that surround work. In 2026, they continue to navigate what is often described as the “second shift” – managing household and caregiving responsibilities, children’s needs and family expectations alongside professional commitments. For many, the workday does not really end when they log off.
The 2026 BCWI findings offer another important insight. While the attrition rates among women and men at the Best Companies are broadly similar, the reasons for attrition among women narrate a different story. Better job opportunities remain the top reason, cited by 89% of women who leave. But health and wellbeing challenges now rank above childcare, at 30% versus 28%, respectively.
If health and wellbeing are increasingly influencing women’s decisions to leave organizations, mental health can no longer be treated as a peripheral employee benefit.
Mental health needs to be viewed through a gender lens.
Viewing mental health through a gender lens, in simple terms, means recognizing that gender can influence the conditions under which people experience work and well-being.
The BCWI data shows that the challenge becomes particularly pronounced as women move up the leadership pipeline. Representation among Best Companies falls from 34.6% overall to 27% at the manager level, around 21% at senior-manager level and 16.7% at the corporate executive level. If organizations want to understand this drop-off, they need to look beyond hiring numbers and examine the lived experience of women as they progress through their careers.
From policy for women to policy with women.
Mental health support must be embedded into the broader employee experience. Flexible work arrangements, caregiving support, manager capability, psychological safety, safe workplaces and equitable career pathways are all connected to mental well-being. There are encouraging signals that this connection is beginning to be recognized.
The maiden findings from the 2026 Best Companies for Workplace Wellness (BCWW) by Avtar & Seramount, show an emerging association between wellness and inclusion. The study assessed organizations on how deeply well-being is embedded in everyday culture, including psychological safety, manager capability and access to support.
Companies recognized on both (BCWI and BCWW) lists demonstrate stronger female representation, lower attrition and more robust second-career hiring programs than the broader Best Companies cohort. While this is an early correlational finding and does not establish causation, it points to an important direction: workplace wellness and inclusion are not separate agendas.
From awareness to action
Mental health is shaped every day – by the way work is designed, the way managers lead, the flexibility employees have, the safety they experience and the choices they are able to make. For women, these factors are often deeply interconnected with the social and personal realities they navigate outside the workplace.
The 2026 findings reinforce why that shift matters. Women are entering workplaces, building careers and taking on leadership. But the drop in representation at senior levels tells us that getting women through the door is only one part of the equation. Creating the conditions that allow them to stay, progress and thrive is the larger challenge.
This World Mental Health Day, the conversation must ask a more fundamental question: Are we creating workplaces that understand what women need to remain healthy, engaged and able to thrive? Because when women’s lived experiences shape workplace policy, mental health stops being an individual responsibility and becomes what it should have always been – a shared organizational responsibility.
