Six in 10 working women had at least one day off sick in 2022 and in 10% of cases, pregnancy, menopause or menstruation were to blame, national statistics agency CBS said on Wednesday.

It is the first time the CBS has carried out research into the impact of these particular health issues and was requested to do so by the social affairs ministry.

Respondents were asked what the reason was for their most recent absence from work. Some 5% of women who took time off sick did so because of severe period problems, while 2% said problems stemming from menopause were to blame. Some 3% had time off because of problems associated with pregnancy.

The research also showed that while women are more likely to take up to five days off work sick than men – 66% compared with 61% – men are more likely to be out of the office for up to 20 days through ill health.