Job Stress Affects Men And Women Differently

A stressful day at work or job alone is enough to really get to someone in general. Yet now, recent findings published in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior show that men and women's mental health are likely to be affected very differently when it comes to stress.

Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin examined close to 1,300 men and 1,500 women who graduated from high schools in Wisconsin. All participants were middle-aged.

Researchers compared the mental health of the men and women with or without job authority.

Findings revealed that women without job authority had more depressive symptoms than men without job authority. When the team compared the mental health of the women and men with job authority, they found that the women still had more depressive symptoms than the men.

"What's striking is that women with job authority in our study are advantaged in terms of most characteristics that are strong predictors of positive mental health," said lead study author and sociologist Tetyana Pudrovska from the university in a news release. "These women have more education, higher incomes, more prestigious occupations, and higher levels of job satisfaction and autonomy than women without job authority. Yet, they have worse mental health than lower-status women."

Researchers were uncertain what to peg the exact cause on the development of the depressive symptoms. However, the noted that the development of interpersonal tension, negative social interactions and various prejudices could be at play.

"Women in authority positions are viewed as lacking the assertiveness and confidence of strong leaders. But when these women display such characteristics, they are judged negatively for being unfeminine," Pudrovska concluded. "This contributes to chronic stress. Men in positions of authority are consistent with the expected status beliefs, and male leadership is accepted as normative and legitimate. This increases men's power and effectiveness as leaders and diminishes interpersonal conflict."