Occupational Stress and Mental Health Among Women in IT: A Demographic Perspective

Abstract

The Information Technology industry had indeed exhibited tremendous growth over the past few decades, and it has now formed an indispensable component of global economies. However, such growth had placed a great demand on employees generally and particularly women who have grappled with both general and gender-specific occupational stressors. This research will identify the correlation between occupational stress and the mental health of women employees in the IT industry, with particular emphasis on demographic factors that may have a bearing on this experience of stress, which includes age, marital status, and length of service. Research was conducted with a self- administered questionnaire distributed among 136 women IT professionals in Chennai for the purpose of investigating the major sources of occupational stress, its impact on the mental well-being, and possible support by organizations. Findings of the study indicated that gender-sensitive interventions would be required in order to reduce the stress and improve the outcomes on the mental health for women employees in the IT workforce. Keywords: Occupational Stress, Women in IT, Mental Health, Demographic Variables, Work-life Balance