How does women’s health matter? A qualitative study on women’s health issues in relation to work participation. Experiences and perspectives from nurses and managers in a Norwegian hospital

Abstract

In this article, we explore associations between women’s health and participation in working life, work ability and sickness absence. Through interviews with nurses and hospital managers, we identified three main occupational barriers connected to biological and physiological sex differences: considerations on women’s health, work organization and work environment as conditions for health, and equality and expectations in society. We find that individual experiences, job systems, and societal attitudes affect each other negatively, and that systemic problems tend to be individualized. The lack of recognition of women’s health affects work participation, work ability and sickness absence in women, representing a challenge to female occupational health, as well as to gender equality and public health in general.