Working women and stress

Abstract

Occupational stress is a growing problem in US workplaces and may be a problem of particular magnitude for working women, in part because of sex-specific job stressors (sex discrimination and difficulties combining work and family). Although such stressors have received little research attention until recent years, new research indicates that these stressors may have a negative impact on health and well-being above and beyond the effects of general job stressors (work overload, skill underutilization, etc). A number of stress-reduction strategies have been shown to be useful for working women, ranging from the more common individual stress management techniques to higher-level interventions focused on removing the sources of occupational stress. This article provides a brief overview of occupational stress as it affects working women and presents research on approaches for reducing the negative effects of job stress.