Even during pandemic, many women plan to expand families
Companies with strong parental and fertility coverage will be at an advantage for post-pandemic recruitment.
The pandemic has brought families closer together, with many parents not only working from home but also supervising their children’s virtual education. But does this togetherness encourage them to increase the size of their families or hit pause on having more children for now?
While many commentators have speculated about a post-pandemic baby boom, Evernorth, which is Cigna’s health services business, asked 2,000 women of childbearing age with employer-sponsored benefits about their plans.
Related: The measurable ROI of clinically managed fertility benefits
“The results are more complex than predicting a baby bust or boom,” the survey report said. “We found most respondents who maintained health insurance also maintained their goals to build families. And for those who now have different intentions, their choices range from delaying to accelerating plans.”
- 13%of respondents want more children than previously planned
- 17% of respondents ages 35-45 want more children than previously planned
- The average delay for those pausing their family plans is 14 months
Three out of five respondents see the pandemic as temporary and won’t delay their goals because of it. Some plan to expand their families but aren’t going to start within the next year. This group is mostly younger millennials, ages 25 to 35. Prospective parents who need help conceiving are staying the course, too. When certain fertility treatments were under a mandated suspension between mid-March and May of 2020, 63% of respondents stopped treatments. However, 75 percent of women already have resumed treatments or say they will restart within a year, either, in person or via telemedicine.
Survey results point to several important implications for benefits professionals. As many as two million women are considering leaving the workforce because of childcare responsibilities caused by the pandemic. Family benefits may make the difference when working women decide whether to walk away or return to the office:
- 63% of employees say benefits are their deciding factor for a job.
- 61% of employees feel greater loyalty when they have parental and fertility coverage.
- 53% would stay longer with a current employer if it provided fertility coverage.
- More than 60% of employers and health plans say they need to increase fertility benefits within the next few years.
- Only 24% of employers and health plans say they offer fertility coverage to members and employees.
These factors could put companies with strong parental and fertility coverage at an advantage for post-pandemic recruitment.
“Our research shows how respondents’ family-planning decisions increase the need for fertility and family coverage now and after the pandemic,” the report concluded. “With a majority maintaining their desire for additional children and some accelerating timing, companies need to be sure their family-building benefits reflect employee needs. Women over 35 delaying for practical reasons will emerge from the pandemic without time on their side. They’ll look to their benefits to support their desire to grow their families.”
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