The Effects of Stress on Women in the Workplace

Author

Stephanie Eberhardt, Fontbonne College

Year of Award

1991

Degree

Master of Business Administration (MBA)

College

College of Business & Professional Studies

Degree Program

Business

Department

Business Administration

Keywords

burnout, harassment, minority, benefits, discrimination

Abstract

In my thesis I will identify the causes of stress for women compared to men, analyze the symptoms, and evaluate possible solutions. There has been a dramatic increase in the number of women in the work force. Economical Factors have forced women to work in order to help support or entirely support themselves and their families. This requirement to work is reducing women's involvement in traditional motherly roles, but is enhancing their occupational involvement. Many women are finding themselves having to retain their jobs after becoming mothers, or are re-entering the work force while their-children are still young. Women are also employed outside the home for longer periods of time. They are marrying later, having fewer children and experiencing divorce and widowhood for longer periods of their adult lives. Because of the shifting pattern in the last decade, it has become increasingly important to understand the stress and impact of paid employment on womens' lives. Some authors have suggested that womens' employment during the early years of child bearing may increase stress by adding to their role demands. Studies have shown that women who raise their children alone and who are in the labor force have been found to have higher levels of stress. If this is true, current social trends could result in more mental and physical health problems encountered by women in the future. Studies have shown only a slight difference in the amount of stress suffered by women as compared to men, however, they have shown that different factors cause stress in females.

There are several factors that cause women to feel the stress that men do not experience. The social norms pressure women into feeling guilty about leaving their children to pursue a career. Premenstrual syndrome causes additional stress at certain times of the month. The traditional Woman who believes in cooking, cleaning and washing clothes find it hard to cope with domestic responsibility and juggle a career. The dominance of the work force by men has established stereotypes that make it hard for women to be successful. Sex discrimination and sexual harassment are still evident in many businesses. Because women are deviating from traditional roles and trying to succeed in "a man's world", they deal with and feel a different kind of stress than men do.

Stress is a common problem in today's society. Even though stress has been recognized as a problem in the work force, identification of specific work-related stress causes, symptoms and coping mechanisms have been neglected. In my paper I will discuss

* The causes of stress as related to women in the work force.

* Both mental and physical symptoms of stress that occur in females.

* Women coping with stress in several different ways.

Document Type

Restricted Thesis

Recommended Citation

Eberhardt, Stephanie, "The Effects of Stress on Women in the Workplace" (1991). All Theses, Dissertations, and Capstone Projects. 407.
https://griffinshare.fontbonne.edu/all-etds/407