Over the year from February 2010 to February 2011 the aggregate caseload for female employment and support allowance claimants increased by 39% compared to the male caseload, which grew by 26%.
This follows the latest Labour Market statistics, which revealed the number of unemployed women increased by 41,000 in the last quarter to reach 1.06 million, a figure not reached since 1988. The number of unemployed men increased by 39,000.
The analysis has been conducted at a time when the government is reviewing the way it handles absence in the workplace.
The review, announced by the Department of Work and Pensions, is led by Dame Carol Black and David Frost.
Commenting on the DWP statistics, Diane Buckley, managing director of L&G Group Protection, said: "These figures show that some employers are struggling to cope with their staff's illnesses at work and just how important it is to provide good quality support for women in the workplace.
"Group income protection offers real benefits to HR professionals and can noticeably help to reduce absence rates by delivering specialist treatment and back to work support."
