Job Insecurity, Family Functionality and Mental Health: A Comparative Study between Male and Female Hospitality Workers.

Esperanza Vargas-Jiménez,Remberto Castro-Castañeda,Esteban Agulló Tomás,Raúl Medina Centeno

doi:10.3390/bs10100146

Esperanza Vargas-Jiménez, Remberto Castro-Castañeda + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/bs10100146

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Abstract

The aim of the present article is to compare the family functionality, mental health and job insecurity of employees of the hospitality industry in Puerto Vallarta and Bahía de Banderas, in México. This is a quantitative and cross-sectional study. The sample was selected by non-probabilistic sampling for convenience and comprised a total of 914 people, of whom 438 were women (47.92%) and 476 were men (52.08%). The women surveyed reported more somatic symptoms, anxiety, insomnia and social dysfunction compared to men, which allows the conclusion that their mental health is vulnerable; meanwhile, men showed better perception of family functionality, a positive factor that reveals the family as a potential support factor that reduces stress, anxiety and improves men’s mental health. Another result reveals that the gender structure permeates the hotel sector, inequalities in the type of contract and income are corroborated, and the existence of a sexual division of labor to the detriment of women is confirmed, as they are mostly employed in low-skilled jobs that reproduce domestic tasks, particularly those related to cleaning and food service tasks.

Highlights

A job represents more than just a means for obtaining the basic sustenance that every human being needs to survive—it is a way of creating a sense of belonging and is a fundamental part of the healthy psychosocial development of an individual
Considering this background, this study aims to compare working conditions, mental health, family functionality and job insecurity between men and women that are working in the hospitality industry
Because the actual size of our population is unknown, our sample was selected through convenience sampling in which the selection of the elements does not depend on probability but rather on what the study conditions allow for [39]

Summary

Introduction

A job represents more than just a means for obtaining the basic sustenance that every human being needs to survive—it is a way of creating a sense of belonging and is a fundamental part of the healthy psychosocial development of an individual. Juan Somavia, the ex-director of the International Labor Organization (ILO), first introduced the concept of fair employment in 1999. He proposed four objectives on which we should concentrate in order to obtain fair employment: labor rights, job opportunities, social security and social dialogue. Each one of the proposed objectives looks to fulfill other goals related mainly to social inclusion, poverty eradication, democracy strengthening, integral development and personal realization [3]. Precarious employment is characterized by being short lived, with a high risk of unemployment, scarce or inexistent capacity of the employee to control his or her employment conditions and a lack of social

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