Working Women Research Articles

(When) Does Informal Labor Close Political Gender Gaps? Theory and Evidence from Urban India

Abstract There is a well-established link between women’s labor force and political participation. However, most of this literature focuses on women’s participation in the formal economy in high-income countries, while the vast majority of employed women in poorer countries work in the informal economy in positions that provide far fewer resources, networks, and skill-building opportunities than those in the formal economy. This article examines how women’s participation in the informal economy distinctly shapes their political engagement. I argue that (a) though participating in the informal economy is unlikely to increase interest in politics or civic-skill development that influences political efficacy, (b) working outside the home in any capacity expands women’s problem-solving networks in ways that facilitate group claim-making. I test the argument with original survey and social networks data from over 9000 urban slum households in three Indian cities. The findings elucidate why existing models linking women’s labor force participation and political participation may not generalize for much of the world’s labor force and contributes novel empirical evidence to a growing but nascent literature on the political implications of urban informality in the Global South.

Predicting depressive symptoms and psychological distress by circulating inflammatory mediators: A 16-month prospective study in Japanese white-collar employees.

Although increasing evidence suggests that depression/distress involves inflammatory processes, its potential sex differences and the temporal directions for this association remain elusive. We examined the temporal association between serum inflammatory mediators and depression/distress as measured by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) and the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6), in non-depressed working men and women (n = 61 and 43, respectively) by a 16-month prospective design. Fully-adjusted partial correlation analyses revealed that in men, a lower IFN-γ predicted subsequent increases in CES-D and K6 scores, while a higher TNF-α predicted increased K6 scores. In women, a higher IFN-γ predicted a subsequent increase in the CES-D score. CES-D and K6 scores did not predict inflammatory mediators at follow-up. The finding suggests that inflammatory activation precedes depression/distress with distinct sex differences.

Marital Adjustment Among Working and Non-Working Women: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

This qualitative study to explore the marital adjustment among working and non-working women in Pakistan. Using purposive sampling strategy, semi-structured interviews were conducted with six married women, including four working women and two non-working women living in nuclear and joint family system. Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis method, fourteen themes were derived as self-negation, work load, financial stability, challenges, intimacy of relationships, coping strategies, family strength, independence, dual responsibility, demand for perfection, sense of guilt, enhance strength, increasing exposure and sense of completion. The results revealed that working women experienced dual responsibility, financial stability, and a sense of independence, which positively impacted their marital adjustment. However, they also reported feeling overwhelmed, guilty, and distant from their spouses. Non-working women reported feelings of financial dependence, lack of recognition, and limited social freedom. The study highlights the importance of considering the impact of occupational status on marital adjustment and the need for support systems for women in both nuclear and extended family settings. The study can also contribute in social psychology as it challenges the stereotypical thinking of working women not being able to justify their familial roles.

A STUDY ON DISSATISFACTION OF LIFE DUE TO WORK STRESS WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO WOMEN EMPLOYEES IN INDIA

Surprisingly job stress has two many impacts on any employees which is bad or good depend upon how to handle stress of each employees. We always consider stress in negative ways but its the motivation for getting things done from others. without stress we dont get things seriously, if we get this stress in wrong manner obviously the impact is worse so, in this paper we discuss both the sides of work stress and impact on women employees as well. IN this era women plays multiple roles in their life. They at one time define the duty of working employee on the other hand manage all the responsibility of house from basic needs to overall management of a one particular home with lots of role she plays. But in these circumstances the mental and physical health of one particular woman affects tremendously. We only discuss the achievements, awards, roles of particular women but sometime its very important to discuss how to help her in such difficult situation in thisrole-playing life she suffered lots of ups and down mood swing, depression, physical problems, hormonal imbalance and various disease which directly suffer the ladies at their life. Due to dissatisfaction of life is occurred, highly stressful working women dont have wish to live life in such circumstances I am a Indian women who show the various aspect of Indian working women in this paper to focus on this important topics and search various ways to cope up this problem and try to find a way for our working ladies.

Beyond laptops and tables: unveiling Singapore’s success in hybrid work through a two-wave gender multigroup analysis of compassionate leadership

PurposeIn recent years, hybrid work has become a new working model. Using the job demands-resources, the conservation of resources and social role theories, we investigate gender disparities in the impact of social support at work and perceived organisational support on shaping various aspects of the hybrid work experience. We further explore whether compassionate leadership is effective in generating these forms of support.Design/methodology/approachOur study is based on data collected from 310 Singaporean white-collar professionals through a two-wave method and analysed using PLS-SEM.FindingsThe results reveal that while compassionate leadership is essential in today's hybrid work environment, men and women perceive differences in the effectiveness of support mechanisms on various dimensions of the hybrid work experience.Originality/valueThis research represents a pioneering effort in elucidating the potential of compassionate leadership in fostering various resources within organisations. Compassionate leadership, characterised by empathy, care and concern for employees, is shown to be instrumental in generating additional forms of resources beyond the conventional metrics. These additional resources may include emotional support, trust and a sense of belonging among employees, which are crucial for their well-being and performance. Overall, this research contributes to the growing body of literature on leadership and organisational behaviour by shedding light on the significance of compassion in leadership and the intricate dynamics of hybrid work arrangements. It underscores the importance of fostering a supportive and empathetic leadership style to navigate the challenges of contemporary work structures effectively.

The Impact of Midlife on Professional Life: A Study of Workplace Challenges for Women

Objective: To determine the impact of midlife on professional life by exploring the workplace challenges faced by women Methodology: This cross-sectional study was performed on midlife working women aged 40-65 years from different fields from March 2024 to July 2024. Data were gathered utilizing a structured questionnaire that included demographic information, job stresses, physical and emotional health concerns, and professional challenges. Deep conversations were conducted with a selection of participants to provide qualitative insights. Statistical analysis, including chi-square tests and logistic regression, was undertaken to investigate the association between demographic characteristics and workplace problems. Results: Overall mean age of women was 51.23 years. 48% women had mild depression, 18% moderate, and 12% severe. Midlife women reported major employment issues, with 36% feeling severely overworked and 44% suffering with role balance. Physical discomfort affected 52%, emotional instability was moderate to severe in 79%, and 65% reported effects on family relationships. Other issues were excessive job pressure (30%), a lack of support (35%), inadequate career advancement (32%), insufficient balance between work and life (26%), and age-related discrimination (22%). Women aged 40-50 faced higher depression, work-life imbalance, and emotional instability (p=0.001). Higher education correlated with more work stress and pain, while lower socioeconomic status linked to greater emotional instability and work-life conflicts. Married women and those with comorbidities reported higher depression and physical pain (p<0.05. Conclusion: Study concluded that the midlife has a substantial impact on women's professional lives, with common issues such as work-life balance, volatile emotions, and physical discomfort. Age discrimination, had also a negative impact on job satisfaction and career advancement.

Making Progress: ‘Sex Trafficking’, Sex Work, Temporality, and Im/mobility

Anti-trafficking discourse is built upon and reproduces a series of either/or conceptual binaries (voluntary/forced, consensual/coerced, agent/victim) which obscure the unseen, structural factors that shape the fates of men, women, and children under the economic, social, and political relations of global capitalism, as well as their experience as workers in given countries, sectors, and workplaces. Some sex worker rights activists and scholars have contested its application to prostitution by emphasising that ‘not all sex workers are trafficked’. However, this position also privileges the question of whether an individual voluntarily chose or was coerced by a third party into a given form of work. Drawing on biographical interview data with women in sex work in Brazil that shows how past, present, and hopes for the future are woven together in their sex-work trajectories, this article adds to the literature that critiques anti-trafficking discourse through a focus on temporality. It argues that by following the trajectories of sex working women’s lives over time, it is possible to better grasp both the protean nature of sex work, and the impossibility of fixing people’s participation in it as either forced or free.

Conceptualizing an asset-based framework for understanding women educator’s adaptive practices during crisis

Consistent, quality education is critical for children, parents, educators, and communities. However, diverse crises often upend the typical cadence of transmitting education, thereby increasing challenges in offering quality education. While women often provide leadership toward continuous educational services during crisis times, there is a literature gap highlighting their meaningful practices. Hence, this conceptual paper attempts to fill this gap by facilitating the articulation of the impactful work women transact during crisis times through the proposed Women’s Adaptive Practices in Crises (WAPIC) framework. We outline the dimensions of WAPIC, consisting of women’s empowerment, women’s leadership, lifelong learning, and education for adaptation and change and highlight how it can be deployed in educational contexts through two visual research methods, visual sociology and photovoice. These examples offer researchers, practitioners and policymakers insight into how WAPIC can elevate insights into recording inequalities, highlighting minority education groups’ voices, perspectives, and stories, emerging discussions, and reflexivity.

"I consider myself to be a leader": a qualitative exploration of early career women family physicians' intentions to assume a leadership role.

Despite the increasing presence of women in US medical schools over the past 25 years, gender equity in medical leadership remains elusive. This qualitative study delves deeper into definitions of institutional leadership roles, who they are designed for, and how women currently contribute in unrecognized and uncompensated leadership positions. We recruited family physicians who responded to the American Board of Family Medicine 2022 or 2023 graduate survey. We developed a semistructured interview guide following a modified life history approach to uncover women's experiences through the stages from residency to workforce. A qualitative researcher used Zoom to interview 25 geographically and racially diverse early career women physicians. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed utilizing NVivo software following an Inductive Content Analysis approach. Three themes emerged from the data. First, the nature of institutionally recognized leadership positions was largely perceived as bureaucratic and disciplinary, which did not appeal to most participants. Second, women engaged in leadership roles that increased practice efficiency, improved working conditions, and added to their emotional labor-without remuneration. Third, women experienced a tension between work and family, but this did not impact their long-term career goals-which remained focused on patient care or lower-level leadership positions. Increasing the number of women in leadership positions can be achieved through innovative leadership models that prioritize collaboration, flexibility, and work-life balance. Organizations must revise definitions of leadership to expand it to include the valuable, unrewarded work women undertake that advance their goals and overall patient health.

A Comparative Study on Depression among Working and Non-Working Women of Tura Hawakhana West Garo Hills Meghalaya

Depression is a state of low mood and aversion to activity that can affect a person’s thoughts, behavior, feelings and sense of well-being. Depression is one of the most common mental illnesses in the entire world. It can cause a person to suffer mentally and physically. This mood disorder is becoming more common among the working and non-working women. Depression is a leading cause of disability and the most common psychiatric disorder. This is a serious condition that can impact every area of women’s life. This study is done to assess the burden of depression and its risk factors among female working and non-working population. Objectives: (i) To find out the depression level of working women. (ii) To find out the depression level of Non-working women. (iii) To measure the depression among the working and non-working women of Hawakhana Tura, West Garo Hills, Meghalaya. The data were collected from working and non working women age group of below 29 years to 50 years residing in Hawakhana Tura. The data is collected by using Beck’s Depression Inventory BDI, (1996) questionnaire. A total number of 100 respondents (50 working women and 50 non-working women) were participated. It is found that the depression among working and non-working women is not significant.

The Impact of Social Support, Family Function, Work-Family Conflict, and Marital Satisfaction on the Quality of Life of Working Women in Indonesia Quality of Life of Working Women

Working women face a reduced quality of life due to the multiple responsibilities. To address this issue, this study aims to investigate the impact of various factors, including social support, family work conflict, family function, and marital satisfaction, on the quality of life of working women. This research was conducted in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, using a quantitative approach through questionnaire-based interviews with a sample of 300 working women, selected through judgmental sampling, with 150 participants each from the formal and social sectors. The data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The results showed that social support, family function, and marital satisfaction significantly impact working women's quality of life. Furthermore, husbands and extended families could provide social support to mothers, such as helping with childcare and household activities. Wives must conduct balancing strategies to reduce family-work conflicts, such as avoiding bringing work home. Family functions can be optimized by flexibly sharing roles and tasks; for proper marital satisfaction, couples should maintain good communication and mutual understanding.

Work-Life Challenges of Working Women in Kathmandu

In a developing country like Nepal, patriarchal beliefs dominated women's empowerment and opportunities for women were limited. Gradually, with the development of society and social attitudes, women took over diverse roles and women began to experience better autonomy and self-esteem. Despite social progress and increasing opportunities, traditional expectations add many challenges to the lives of working women. Seven working women from different sectors were selected for the convenience sampling which was a part of the qualitative approach to study to expose the challenges of working women in balancing work and life in Kathmandu district. For the collection of information, semi-structured interview guide was used which helped in the identification of key challenges for working women such as triple burden, family expectations, gender-based discrimination and abuse etc. The study was conducted fromDec 2023 to March 2024. The findings revealed that the women's difficulty in achieving work-life balance is intensified by social pressures, including reproductive roles and patriarchal norms. Trained relationships and internal family conflicts are the major outcomes of unbalanced work-life. The findings also highlighted the parameters that are needed for the support of the women in the Kathmandu Valley to achieve a fair and satisfactory balance in their work life. The critical need for comprehensive policy reforms, cultural change and legal protection to mitigate the 'triple burden' and promote gender equality in work-life is focused on the experience of Nepalese working women.

Gender Differences in Job Requirements: Change Within Careers and Across Cohorts

ABSTRACTWe examine differences in jobs held by men and women based on a measure not used before, the standard human resources measures of “knowledge, skills, and abilities” generated by job analyses. While there is an abundance of evidence on gender disparities in pay, we know much less in detail about differences in the work men and women perform and especially how these differences have changed over time. We use nationally representative data for two cohorts of college graduates, one entering the post‐college workforce in 1994 and another in 2009, and we follow them for the first 10 years of their careers. We find that women generally held jobs with lower requirements relative to men. The gender gap in job requirements grew over the course of individuals' careers for the first cohort (1994–2003) but declined sharply for the second (2009–2018). We also find that among the second cohort, women received a wage premium for social skills that was greater than what men received.

The mediating effect of work-life balance on the relationship between work-family conflict and psychological well-being among Chinese working women

The study aims to explore whether work-life balance mediates the impact of work-family conflict and its dimensions on psychological well-being. Using a survey method, data were collected from a sample of 258 working women in Hebei province in China. The analysis was carried out using IBM SPSS and the PROCESS macro in order to test the mediation model. The findings show that work-family conflict has an indirect effect on psychological well-being through work-life balance. In the case of work-to-family conflict, a suppression effect is detected in which the mediator shows an underlying relationship between the work-to-family conflict and psychological well-being. On the other hand, family-to-work conflict is fully moderated by work-life balance. Based on these results, it can be concluded that enhancing the quality of work-life balance may help to reduce the negative impact of work-family conflict on psychological health. The findings of this study can be beneficial to organizations and policy makers to formulate policies that would enhance the mental health and work productivity of women professionals in China.

Psychosocial factors of work-life balance and resilience among Malaysian working women: A qualitative approach

Regardless of cultural or geographical contexts, women worldwide often bear the primary responsibility for childcare and household management. For women pursuing careers, these responsibilities are amplified, creating a challenging dynamic as they strive to balance professional duties with domestic obligations. The onset of COVID-19 profoundly disrupted lives, with working women being particularly impacted. The pandemic necessitated a rapid transition to a "new normal," where remote work became the standard. This shift required women to juggle childcare, household chores, and professional tasks within the confines of the same physical space. Work-life balance refers to the equilibrium between personal, family, and professional responsibilities, while resilience is defined as an individual's capacity to cope with and recover from adversity. This paper examines the psychosocial factors contributing to work-life balance and resilience, which are vital for achieving a balanced and fulfilling life among working women in Malaysia. Data was collected through a qualitative approach using focus group discussions with eleven working women from diverse professional backgrounds, and the data was analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings reveal that the psychosocial factors affecting work-life balance and resilience are deeply interconnected. Three major themes emerged from the analysis: social support, individual factors, and spirituality. These factors enable working women to adapt, persevere, and thrive despite challenges, especially with the support of their families, including spouses and parents. This study underscores the critical role of psychosocial factors in enhancing work-life balance and resilience among working women, highlighting their importance in navigating the complexities of modern life.

Spinnen Out: Women's Work in Early Modern Textile Trades

The production of cloth was a vital aspect of the early modern economy. Women were involved in almost all stages of the process, both in unofficial capacities and sometimes as officially recognized or tolerated artisans. However, associations between women and unskilled labor and guild fear of economic competition led to both legal restrictions and social stigma around women’s involvement in artisan textile work. This pushed more women into low-paying piecework, especially spinning. Spinning was the form of textile work women were most encouraged to do, or least restricted from. As one of the most common types of womens’ labor, it carried both positive connotations of diligence and the social stigmas that followed women as workers, such as anxieties around poverty, sexual immorality, and threats to the stability of male guilds. This essay investigates social attitudes towards women’s textile work, followed by a creative component which examines the spinning process directly.

Impact of Multiple Sclerosis on different life dimensions among working women in Sweden

Abstract Introduction Multiple sclerosis (MS), like many other chronic diseases, may impact the whole life situation. MS is more common among women than men, in addition, women tend to report worse health status. We aimed to explore the self-reported impact of MS on different dimensions of life such as work, family, leisure activities and, contact with friends and acquaintances. Methods All individuals 20-50 years of age listed in the Swedish MS Registry were invited to answer a survey in 2021. Responses from 2659 working women regarding impact of MS in different dimensions (1, not at all; 2-3, occasionally; 4-5, frequently; 6-7 to a high extend) were explored with descriptive statistics. Results Reported impact of MS varied across the different life dimensions. Working women reported that MS had a greater impact on their leisure activities (20.7% - responding to ‘to a high extent’), followed by contact with friends and acquaintances (15.8%), work (15.5%) and family (11.7%). This despite the fact that 77.1% had mild levels of disability. Further, the MS diagnosis was reported to have contributed to reduced working time (31.4%), refrained from changing job (28.8%), changed jobs (20.5%) or changed career track (20.4%). When questioned about positive life-changing experiences due to MS diagnosis, a majority of the women stated that it had contributed to learning how to adapt to things one cannot change (59.2%) and being grateful for everyday (51.7%). Conclusions An MS diagnosis can significantly impact various aspects of life. While work is notably affected, leisure activities also undergo substantial changes after MS diagnosis. However, acceptance, adaptability and finding meaning, among other, can be important parts of the journey. Key messages • At early stages of MS, the disease tend to affect leisure activities more than other dimensions of life. • Finding coping mechanisms to handle MS may contribute to compensate the impact of MS.

“We Were Put Out of Good Jobs”: Women Night Workers in New York and the Origins of the Women’s Equal Opportunity League

Abstract In the 1910s, U.S. social reformers advocated for labor laws to protect women who worked in factories. The laws included bans on women working at night. In New York, a small contingent of night-working women who had lost their jobs objected. Arguing that the laws were paternalistic and harmful, they formed the Women’s Equal Opportunity League. The group opposed all single-sex laws and ultimately won repeal of New York’s night work ban for printers, elevator operators, and transit workers. Night work was the stage on which reformers’ ideas about the greater good conflicted with arguments for women’s autonomy. Whether and what kind of work women should do at night was a conflict about class, motherhood, and self-determination. This article profiles three leaders of the Women’s Equal Opportunity League—printer Ella M. Sherwin, transit guard Margaret Hinchey, and streetcar ticket agent Mary A. Murray. All three were devoted union members whose opposition to women-only laws made them dissidents within their unions. They remained shift workers their entire lives while lobbying state legislatures and Congress to demand formal legal equality for women. Histories of the early Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) have emphasized the support of upper- and middle-class women. These working-class women, who had long opposed protective legislation, later demanded the ERA—not in spite of the prospect that it would nullify single-sex labor laws, but because they hoped it would. Theirs was a minority position, and paying attention to it reveals the complexity of class conflict at the root of a feminist dispute which persisted long into the twentieth century.

Home production and time use in an epidemic

AbstractThis paper examines the role of home production in gender‐based responses of time use to the COVID‐19 pandemic. We develop a tractable model featuring time allocation choices and susceptible‐infected‐susceptible epidemiological dynamics. The model economy has two steady states, and an outbreak can trigger a transition from a disease‐free steady state to an epidemic steady state, accompanied by a shift in economic activity toward the home. Our parameterized model well reproduces pandemic‐driven variations in time allocation in the US. This stems largely from the combination of three key features of home production: the high substitutability between market goods and home goods, the asymmetric immunity of home production to the epidemic and the comparative advantage of women in household work. Our decomposition analysis finds that elevated home production accounts for a sizable share of changes in market work and its gender gap during the pandemic. Remote work limits fluctuations in time use but worsens gender inequality in market work.

Role of Eco-spirituality in Psychological Well-Being of Selected Working Women

This study intended to determine the role of ecospirituality in the psychological well-being of selected working women in Metro Manila; thus, casual research design as well as a cross-sectional survey were utilized in this study. Moreover, this study aimed to identify the level of ecospirituality and psychological well-being of the participants. A total of 574 working women in Metro Manila were conveniently selected. They participated and voluntarily answered the survey questionnaires, such as the Ecospirituality Scale and the Psychological Well-being Scale. The Ecospirituality Scale measures emotional and spiritual states about nature and has five aspects such as dwelling, caring, revering, experiencing, and relating. Moreover, the Psychological Well-being Scale measured six aspects of wellbeing and happiness, such as autonomy, environmental mastery, personal growth, positive relations with others, purpose in life, and self-acceptance. Findings revealed that working women were low in dwelling, caring, revering, experiencing, and relating the same as with psychological well-being in terms of personal growth and personal relations with others. On the other hand, they were high in psychological well-being as to autonomy, environmental mastery, purpose in life, and self-acceptance. Findings also revealed that ecospirituality in terms of caring predicts psychological well-being as to autonomy and personal relations with others. Likewise, ecospirituality in terms of dwelling predicts environmental mastery. Further, ecospirituality in terms of relating predicts psychological well-being as to personal growth, personal relations with others, and purpose in life. On the other hand, all aspects of ecospirituality do not predict psychological well-being as to self-acceptance. It can be concluded that working women’s life fulfillment and happiness were influenced by their spiritual connection with nature; hence, the need to design an employee development program focused on ecopsychology was recommended.