This didn't sit right with me and the general observations i've made in the workplaces I've been at - so I went away and checked the stats. It may be different in the States but here in the UK, women have always taken more time off due to sickness - this would make sense given women are more prone to mental health issues than men as well as that pesky monthly cycle we all know and love. To be clear, I'm not suggesting women are inherently more lazy than men just that the UK stats do not support this particular hypothesis.

The figures are here: https://www.statista.com/statistics/290228/uk-sickness-absence-rate-by-gender/