Abstract
BackgroundThe present research paper aims to bring deeper understanding and insight to perceptions and experiences of occupational stress from relationships at work in the cultural context of Vietnam. The paper also examines differences in perceptions, experiences of occupational stress from this problem and makes a comparison with perspectives in other cultures.MethodsGrounded theory approach is used to study occupational stress by collecting data from in-depth interviews with 42 academic women employed at Vietnamese higher education institutions to understand the meaning, the nature and source of the occupational stress from relationships at work they experience and the impact of occupational stress on their lives.ResultsCultural factors play an important role in occupational stress. Cultural factors such as power distance and hierarchy influence perception, experiences of occupational stress and the ways occupational stress is responded to. The Vietnamese context differs from other cultural contexts in the range of factors perceived as stressors for Vietnamese women.ConclusionThis paper is the first grounded theory study of occupational stress among women academics in Vietnam that determines that the natural of the relationship at work play an important role in how women understand and respond to occupational stress and supports the growing evidence that occupational stress is common, global but different in other cultures.
Highlights
IntroductionThis research aims to explore experience of occupational stress, originating from relationships at work, among Vietnamese academic women in higher education in a Vietnamese cultural setting that is chose as an example of Vietnamese cultural influence
The present research paper aims to bring deeper understanding and insight to perceptions and experiences of occupational stress from relationships at work in the cultural context of Vietnam
Women are increasingly represented among staff in higher education [40]; for example, The representation of women in higher education is relatively low at 44.4 % of academics [30] and Western studies indicate that gender plays a part in academics’ experience of occupational stress [6]; and significant stressors in academic life that have been identified are: poor relationships, poor management, Occupational stress appears to be a feature of occupational life for academics [17] and higher education institutions seem to be a male-dominated working environment
Summary
This research aims to explore experience of occupational stress, originating from relationships at work, among Vietnamese academic women in higher education in a Vietnamese cultural setting that is chose as an example of Vietnamese cultural influence. The focus on only women academics has been decided upon because Vietnamese women in the academic work setting are good representation of the values that are under the influence of Confucius ethics. They provide the opportunities to uncover the influence of Vietnamese culture on occupational. Vagg et al [42] argue that gender is a key determinant of occupational stress reflecting a wide acceptance of this viewpoint; the effects of gender on occupational stress have been examined in many studies [7, 14, 23, 24, 29, 33, 34]
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