The impact of an endometriosis diagnosis on monthly employee pay and employee status, England: April 2016 to December 2022

6th February 2025

Endometriosis is a chronic gynaecological condition that has physical, psychological, social, and economic impacts; however, there has been no population-level analysis of the labour market impacts of this condition in England.

There was a statistically significant average decrease in monthly earnings among women aged 25 to 54 years in England who received a diagnosis of endometriosis between April 2016 and December 2022, from one to five years after diagnosis, compared with the two-year period before being diagnosed with the condition.

Among all women in the dataset, including both paid employees and those not in paid employment, monthly pay initially dropped on average in the first three months post-diagnosis, then returned to pre-diagnosis levels from 4 to 12 months; afterward, pay decreased on average each year, reaching a £130 monthly reduction in the four to five years post-diagnosis compared with the two years before diagnosis.

Among those in paid work, monthly pay decreased on average from one to five years after the condition was identified, compared with the two years prior, reaching an average decrease of £56 per month in the four to five years post-diagnosis; this suggests that, following the diagnosis, women in work may be taking lower-paying jobs or working fewer hours.

The probability of being a paid employee statistically significantly decreased after an endometriosis diagnosis, decreasing by 2.7 percentage points in the four to five years post-diagnosis, compared with the two years before diagnosis.

Read the full ONS report HERE