Associations between labor-related and socioeconomic factors and unmet healthcare needs among working women stratified by employment status

Abstract

Objectives Using a nationally representative dataset, this study aimed to analyze associations between labor-related and socioeconomic factors and unmet healthcare needs among working women, stratified by employment status.Methods Secondary data analyses were conducted on the data extracted for 639 working women, aged 20 to 65 years, from the 2,496-person dataset of the Japanese General Social Survey 2010 (JGSS-2010). First, unmet healthcare needs, labor-related factors (occupation, years of employment, working hours, and company size), and socioeconomic factors (age, marital status, number of children under 15 years age, education, and equivalent disposable income) were cross-tabulated by employment status. Second, logistic regression analyses were conducted, stratified by employment status, with experience of an unmet healthcare need as the objective variable and labor-related and socioeconomic factors as explanatory variables.Results Of the total sample, 227 (35.5%) experienced an unmet healthcare need in the past year. There was no significant association between unmet healthcare needs and employment status. Labor-related and socioeconomic factors were strongly associated with employment status. Restricting women in regular employment and managerial positions, odds ratios (ORs) of having experienced an unmet healthcare need for those with 2-5 years of employment, 5-10 years and over 10 years, compared to under 2 years, were 3.91 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.31-11.7), 2.86 (95%CI: 0.97-8.44), 1.99 (95%CI: 070-5.66), respectively. Among women in non-regular employment and others, adjusted ORs (aORs) of having experienced an unmet healthcare need in their 50s, 40s, 30s, and 20s compared to those in their 60s were 2.26 (95%CI: 0.99-5.16), 4.09 (95%CI: 1.70-9.82), 5.03 (95%CI: 1.90-13.30), and 5.32(95%CI: 1.87-15.10) respectively with younger age groups showing higher aORs. No significant association between other labor-related and socioeconomic factors and unmet healthcare needs was found.Conclusion More than 30% of participants had experienced unmet healthcare needs in the past year. Although no association between employment status and unmet healthcare needs was found, aORs of having experienced an unmet healthcare need were significantly higher among regularly employed women at mid-career level and among non-regularly employed women of reproductive and child-rearing age. This implies differences in women's health issues due to employment status. It is considered necessary to provide health support, taking into account the individual's work situation and environment, along with their life stage and family relationships.