Gender, work and stress

Jane PaulSafety, Health and Equality Advisor

UKNWSN conference, November 2007

Key themes

• Sex and gender factors matter– impacts often unrecognised / misunderstood

• gender stereotypes lead to bias and discrimination– barriers to stress prevention and equality

• gender-sensitivity is essential– more effective targeting of prevention for women and men

SEX or GENDER?

• Sex:– biologically determined differences between men and

women

• Gender:– social differences between men and women that are

learned, changeable over time and have wide variations both within and between cultures

Source of definition: European Commission

Examples

• Childbearing = sex difference– biologically determined (only women)

• Child rearing = gender difference– socially determined (women and/or men)

Sex differences and stress

• Examples of biological differences:– endocrine systems (hormones)

– reproductive systems

– responses to stressors?

• Other biological differences too - e.g.– individual / heritable factors

– age-related factors

• Context matters - – sex, gender, occupation, environment etc. all interact...

Gender differences and stress

• Examples of gender differences:– occupation (vertical/horizontal segregation)– working hours / employment patterns– earnings (current / lifetime)– career progression / job security– work/family roles, responsibilities and relationships– levels of control / choice / power

• And...– how the differences are perceived / responded to

(by self and others, including organisations)

Gender stereotyping

“Stress is for wimps”

“It’s her age”

“It’s your hormones”

“It’s mass hysteria”

“It’s your eggshell personality”

“It must be that time of the month…”

Genderstereotypes?

Men, women and stress

• Very diverse

• Not just about women

• Not just about work

• Gender impacts on perceptions too

Stress is for wimps?

S tre ss = 'w e a kn e ss'

C a p a b ility ='s tre ng th '

S a fe ty f irst

H ig h ris ks ,h o s tile en v iro n m e n ts

'H e a vy w o rk ' = 'h ig h s tra in '

'M e n 's w o rk ' = 'h e a vy w o rk'

s tre ss ='in a d eq u a cy'

C a p a b ility ='co p in g '

p reve n tionla ck ing

'L o w risk ' e n v iro n m e nt

'L ig h t w o rk ' = 'lo w s tra in '

'W o m e n 's w o rk ' = 'lig h t w o rk'

Y o u r job

Stereotyping work and family?

p ro d uc tive

g a in fu le m p lo ym e nt

lo w p ro file a s ca re r

h ig h p ro filea s w o rker

m a te ria l sup p ort fo r de p en da n ts

(m a le ) p rim a ry b re a dw in n er

le ss p ro d uc tive

u n p a id w o rk+ / - p a id w o rk

lo w p ro file a s w o rker

h ig h p ro filea s ca re r

d o m e s tic a n d fin an c ia l su pp o rt

(fe m a le ) p rim a ry ca re rsu p p le m e n ta ry e arn er

Y o u r ro le

Treatment of gender in OSH

• Gender stereotyping– differences exaggerated

– e.g. women as ‘weaker sex’

• Gender ‘neutral’– treat everyone alike

– differences ignored

• Gender-sensitive– differences considered in context

Source: Copsey et al (2003)

Genderequality!

Treatment of gender and stress

• Gender stereotyping - e.g.– women as ‘hormonal’– women’s work = light work– light work = less stress

• Gender ‘neutral’ - e.g.– single sex studies, or– assumed male ‘norm’

• Gender-sensitive– holistic approach: differences considered in context

Source: Copsey et al (2003)

Men too!

Gender ‘neutral’?Example 1: reproductive health

“The subjects of pregnancy, breastfeeding, reproduction etc. are probably separate issues from that of being a woman.

“This is because Health and Safety in the workplace applies to men equally as it does to women, the only difference being the new or

unborn infant / foetus...”

source: HSE (2002)

Some facts of (biological) life• Symbiotic relationship between mother and child

– simply maintaining the pregnancy makes demands on a woman’s body equivalent to 2 - 3 hours of hard physical labour

• Increased susceptibility to stress and strain – rapid changes including ‘pregnancy hormones’

• Increased risks of harmful heat stress to both mother and child– foetal temperature higher than the woman’s

• Stress in pregnancy linked to risks for mother and child– including miscarriage and post-natal depression

• Prolonged stress may increase risks of pre-eclampsia – potentially fatal ILO (2004)

Some facts of working life

• Many employers failing to assess pregnancy-related risks– including stress

• Evidence of widespread discrimination – maternity-related harassment– pressure to resign or leave early– negative impact on job / career progression– increased anxiety, stress

• Negative stereotyping – pregnancy = ‘unproductive’ – working mothers = ‘uncommitted’

EOC (2006)

Gender ‘neutral’? Example 2: work/family

conflict• Role conflict - shared concerns

• Working hours - longer, less flexible for many men

• Problematising working mothers, not lack of childcare

• Inequality (pay/progression) forces choice of carer

• Migrant workers (m/f) stressed by exploitation / separation

• Homeworkers (mostly women) stressed by work/family ‘fusion’

• Older workers may be caring across 3 - 4 generations

Gender ‘neutral’? Example 3: part-time

solutions?• Reduced income > financial pressures? (pay / pension)

• Less is more? (work intensification / shift problems…)

• Unequal opportunities? (negative career impacts, low control…)

• Pro-rata pay, disproportionate costs? (transport / childcare / elder care…)

• Exclusion? (training / meetings / promotion / networking…)

• Undermined? (“not fully committed / not pulling their weight…”)

Gender ‘neutral’? Example 4: non-traditional

jobs• Hostility to women in senior positions usually held by men

• Pressure to conform to ‘gendered’ role models

• Harassment / bullying

• Suspicion surrounding male carer roles

• Pressure to prove critics / sceptics wrong

• Isolation / obstacles to team building / lack of peer support

Gender sensitivity

“...gender sensitivity is more than comparing men’s and women’s disease and injury rates. It is a

re-examination of workplace reality…

“More serious consideration of gender-related factors will help identify risk factors for both

men and women...”

Messing at al (2003)

Gender sensitivity and stress

• Investigate (beware of prior assumptions)

• consult and involve women and men– take their concerns seriously

• re-examine job realities - not just job titles

• look at issues in context (holistic approach)

• apply the ‘general principles of prevention’

• differentiate, don’t discriminate (all workers, all risks)

Source: European Agency forSafety and Health at Work(2003)

Not just hazard-spotting...

“As there are gender differences in a variety of broader issues relating to

work circumstances, such as sexual harassment, discrimination,

involvement in decision-making in the workplace, and conflicts between

work and home life, a holistic approach to risk prevention is needed”

Source: European Agency (2003)

Further action points

• Develop policy for equality and prevention– Gender-sensitive risk assessment– non-discrimination / confidentiality– gender impact assessments in change management

• Consult and involve women and men– investigate work not just individual responses– DIY research (e.g. body mapping, risk mapping)

• Encourage reporting – same sex reporting option?

• Provide gender-sensitive information and support– improve management training (equality / OSH)– more women safety reps!

Men. Women. Different. Equal. Well?

Equality

OSH