By Hollie Mantle
A recent data analysis by health and safety consultants, Arinite, has found that workplace stress rates are 1.5 times higher in female workers than in males. This analysis reflects data over a five year period between 2009 and 2014. The number of females reported to be suffering from stress caused or made by worse by work has been substantially higher year on year compared to reported levels of stress amongst male workers.
What Counts as Workplace Stress?
According to Bryan Richards of Arinite, “there is a clear distinction between pressure which can create a ‘buzz’ and be a motivating factor and stress, which can occur when this pressure becomes excessive.” Each year in the UK half a million workers experience work-related stress at a level they believe is making them ill. Despite increasing awareness of the negative physical impacts of stressful working lives on the body, the analysis reveals that whilst the number of other workplace issues such as injuries and fatalities have either declined or remained steady over the past five years, stress levels amongst UK workers is on the increase.
In 2014, for example, 487,000 incidences of work-related stress were reported – an increase of 87,000 since 2011. An illustrative example of this health and safety data analysis can be seen here. Why are women more likely to suffer from workplace stress?
In a report titled, ‘Work, Employment and Society’ by Haya Stier of Tel Aviv University, participants from industrialised countries worldwide revealed that the quality of working environments for women appeared to be significantly lower than for men. The study focused on areas such as feelings of stress, tiredness and flexibility. Male respondents indicated that they felt levels of stress and exhaustion at work that were on average 5% lower than females. Their responses also suggested that opportunities for advancement were perceived as higher in males than females, and male workers also tended to respond more positively than females when discussing their feelings of job security.
On top of an inferior sense of wellbeing at work, women are still subject to a discriminatory pay gap which allows men, on average, to take home an additional £100 per week in the UK. These figures, based on statistics from the ONS, suggest that men can expect to earn on average £5,200 more than their female counterparts per year, whilst maintaining a higher level of mental wellbeing (see below for US statistics on pay gaps between the genders).
Implementing a Stress Management System
Overall, female workers experience higher levels of exhaustion, have less job security and earn lower salaries than male workers in the UK. This may go some way to explaining why the ratio of female workers suffering from work related stress or anxiety is 1.5 times higher than males.
Health and safety consultant Bryan Richards suggests that this issue is one that must be tackled by employers. Richards says, “Employers need to acknowledge this gender gap and make a point of addressing it when implementing a stress management system in the workplace. Where possible, employees should be given control over the pace of their work. There should also be a system in place so that employees are able to raise concerns about the working environment as and when they arise. “Considering females appear to suffer more when it comes to workplace stress, there needs to be a sufficient support system in place to provide help to this demographic. Employees should be able to raise concerns privately or anonymously, and then employers should brainstorm with workers as to how these issues can be dealt with. Bringing a neutral party to assist with these exercises can ensure employers are being fair.”
Tackling Gender Inequality
Stress is one of the biggest causes of sickness absence in the UK, with those suffering averaging a total of 30.1 days off per year. Considering sickness absence costs employers a whopping £495 per year per employee, it’s high time business started taking stress management seriously. Tackling gender inequalities in the workplace and ensuring female workers are fully supported is one step in the right direction.
Check out Arinite's Health and Safety Tracker Here:
http://www.arinite.co.uk/arinite-health-safety-tracker-infographic
Hollie can be reached via email at h.mantle@accuracast.com.
*Women in the US are paid .70 on the dollar to their male counterparts. Obama enacted the Fair Pay Act as one of his first bills once elected to office, but there is no current process for rectifying this gap.
See Stephanie's site Work Stress Solutions for more information like this.
