Working Women Research Articles

A community evaluation of post-partum quality of life using a locally adapted mother-generated-index: the Delhi Delivery Care (DELCARE) Survey (2009-2011)

ABSTRACT Post-partum quality of life is an inadequately studied and poorly understood outcome of delivery care, especially in low- and middle-income countries. Hence, we evaluated the postpartum quality of life and its clinic-demographic context as part of a 3-stage cluster randomized community survey (DECLARE; covered quality of care as primary outcome) conducted in 2009–2011 in Delhi. In stage 1 of participant selection(sampling), 20 wards (of 150; geographically defined administrative units) were selected using a probability-proportionate-to-size systematic method. In stage 2, one from each income stratum (high, middle, and low; multiple colonies within each ward) was selected from each ward by simple random sampling (total 60 colonies of 2311). In stage 3, a house-to-house survey was conducted to recruit ~1800 recently delivered women for the multidimensional work, which included quality-of-care, cost-of-care, and PPQOL. Among the participants, those with high school or above education were invited to administer the Mother-Generated Index and calculate the primary and secondary index scores (PIS and SIS). A total of 794 (of 857 eligible; 118846 households) women were administered MGI. The mean PIS was 4.6[95 percent CI 4.4–4.7] while the average SIS was 4.0[95 percent CI 3.8–4.2]. The PIS was worse for primiparous vs. multiparous mothers. On multivariate analysis, poorer psychological state, obstetric complications, and premature delivery correlated with poorer QOL scores, while better gestational weight gain, higher age, and labor-pain relief correlated with better QOL scores. The study benchmarks the poor status of post-partum quality-of-life and documents the spectrum, severity, and complexity of its key social, psychological, physical, and demographic determinants.

Microchimeric cells promote production of rheumatoid arthritis-specific autoantibodies

BackgroundWomen are more likely to develop autoimmune diseases than men. Contribution from microchimerism (Mc) has been proposed, as women naturally acquire Mc from more sources than men because of pregnancy. Women with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) who lack RA-associated HLA alleles have been found to harbor Mc with RA-associated HLA alleles in higher amounts than healthy women in prior work. However, an immunological impact of Mc remains to be elucidated. ObjectivesTo test the hypothesis that Mc with RA-risk associated HLA alleles can result in the production of RA-associated autoantibodies, when host genetic risk is absent. MethodsDBA/2 mice are unable to produce RA-specific anti-citrullinated autoantibodies (ACPAs) after immunization with the enzyme peptidyl arginine deiminase (PAD) in a previously developed model. DBA/2 females were mated with C57BL/6 males humanized to express HLA-DR4, which is associated with RA-risk and production of ACPAs, to evaluate DR4+ fetal Mc contribution. Next, DBA/2 females born of heterozygous DR4+/− mothers were evaluated for DR4+ Mc of maternal or littermate origin. Finally, DBA/2 females from DR4+/− mothers were crossed with DR4+ males, to evaluate the contribution of any Mc source to ACPA production. ResultsAfter PAD immunization, between 20 % and 43 % of DBA/2 females (otherwise unable to produce ACPAs) had detectable ACPAs (CCP2 kit) after exposure to sources of Mc with RA-associated HLA alleles, compared to 0 % of unmated/unexposed DBA/2 females. Further the microchimeric origin of the autoantibodies was confirmed by detecting a C57BL/6-specific immunoglobulin isotype in the DBA/2 response. ConclusionOur study demonstrates that Mc cells can produce “autoantibodies” and points to a role of Mc in the biology of autoimmune diseases, including RA.

Solidarity and gender in protest novels: Bessie Head’s <i>The Cardinals</i> and Miriam Tlali’s <i>Muriel at Metropolitan</i>

This article analyses the critical role of gender within racial solidarity in anti-apartheid protest writing by comparing Bessie Head’s The Cardinals and Miriam Tlali’s Muriel at Metropolitan. Both novels depict the protagonist’s experience of being the only Black woman at a white-collar workplace during apartheid. The workplace relationships explored within the novels illustrate the complex role of gender in forming alliances and nurturing solidarity. Although Tlali’s novel prioritises solidarity between Black people in the face of apartheid, areas of significant gender inequalities are present. Head’s The Cardinals, on the other hand, explicitly explores the fissures in Black anti-apartheid alliances created by gender inequalities. The juxtaposition of these two novels challenges a uniform understanding of Black anti-apartheid solidarity, while also elucidating depictions of the competing relationships of solidarity for Black working women in female-authored protest writing. By forcing the reader to consider the place of gender in relation to both collectives of solidarity and to anti-apartheid protest, the novels trigger a rethinking of what traditionally male-dominated protest writing was and could be.

Hypersexualisation and racialised erotic capital in sex work

Eight people, including six women of East Asian descent, at three massage spas were killed on 16 March 2021 in Atlanta, USA by a 21-year-old White man who sought to eliminate ‘temptation’ for a sex addiction he claimed to experience. This mass killing compelled public discussion about the hypersexualisation of Asian women in White, Western contexts and the risks faced by Asian women in ‘intimate labour’. This occurred alongside a dialogical shift towards sex worker rights in public and media discourses, yet these public dialogues appeared to occur alongside each other, rather than in interaction with each other. In between these dialogues remained questions about the legacies of hypersexualisation and what this means for Asian women in sex work, an industry that resists convenient understandings of desire and power and where hypersexuality may be simultaneously contested and deployed. This article bridges these dialogues to explore how a sex worker rights framework can engage with questions of race, hypersexualisation and erotic capital for Asian women in sex work. This is followed by an analysis of responses to hypersexualisation within Asian diasporic communities, and the implications for a more inclusive sex worker rights movement.

Notions of Care Labor Are Antithetical to Profitable Labor

We argue that women in the care workforce face a wage penalty because care work is perceived as something that people, especially women, are meant to do out of love (and for free). We focus on care labor, which is aligned with stereotypes about women's natural abilities as caregivers, to show that low wages cannot be explained by counter-stereotypic behavior alone. Instead, low wages in care labor can be explained by a perceived love versus money tradeoff. This tradeoff exists not only because of intrinsic rewards and fears of commodifying care but because of the idea that trading love for money amounts to trading the sacred for the profane. In other words, care workers are underpaid because many people, either implicitly or explicitly, perceive the very act of making money as counter to care, a stereotypically-feminine form of work. This stereotypical association contributes to the gender pay gap more generally because it implies that the work women are suited for is work that should be done for free. We expand on this idea with future directions and practice implications, which include building communal spaces for care workers to facilitate communication and organizing around higher pay and better working conditions.

The Structural Pattern of Family Functioning Based on Religious Orientation in Working Men and Women of Hamedan City with the Role of Resilience as a Mediator

Introduction: Family functioning refers to the effectiveness of family members in emotional communication, family rules, family communication and coping with external events. Aim: The present study was conducted with the aim of investigating the structural pattern of family functioning based on religious orientation in working men and women of Hamedan city with the role of mediator of resilience. Method: The current research was descriptive-correlation based on structural equation modeling. The research population included all married men and women working in government organizations in Hamadan city in 1400-1401. The sample size was 335 working men and women available by non-random sampling method. Family functioning questionnaire (FAD), religious orientation scale (ROS) and resilience scale (RISC) were used. Data analysis software was SPSS-21 and AMOS-24. Results: The results showed that religious orientation (β = -0.518 and p = 0.001) and resilience (β = -0.236 and p = 0.001) have a direct effect on family functioning and religious orientation mediates resilience on Family performance was also significant at 0.1 level. In the following, the indirect relationship of the proposed model was investigated, and a significant value was obtained for the approximation index of goodness of fit (PCLOSE) of 0.001 and the RMSEA index equal to 0.073, which indicated the fit of the model. Conclusion: The results showed that religious orientation can explain the functioning of the family with regard to the role of resilience, so psychologists are recommended to strengthen the functioning of the family and strengthen the foundations of families by holding psychological workshops centered on religion and spirituality. With the help of resilience training to administrative staff. These people help.

Comparative Study of Life Satisfaction, Adversity Quotient and Self-concept in Working and Non-working Women

This ex-post facto study examines the relationship between employment status and psychological variables - life satisfaction, adversity quotient, and self-concept - among married women aged 35-45 in semi-urban and urban areas of India. Utilizing purposive sampling with the snowball method, data were collected from 76 working women and 76 non-working women who met specific inclusion criteria. Assessment tools included the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) for life satisfaction, the Adversity Response Profile (ARP) for adversity quotient, and the Mohsin Self-Concept Inventory (MSCI) for self-concept. Analysis involved one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results revealed significant differences in both life satisfaction and self-concept between working and non-working women, with employed individuals reporting higher levels of satisfaction and self-concept. However, no significant difference was observed in adversity quotient between the two groups. These findings suggest that employment status may influence various aspects of psychological well-being differently among women in India. Implications for policy and intervention strategies aimed at enhancing women's overall well-being are discussed.

Effect of Positive Psychology Online Group Therapy on Spiritual Well-Being, Positive and Negative Affect of Working Women in COVID-19 Pandemic

Background: Positive psychology is a branch of psychology that deals with the factors shaping mental health, even in dangerous situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic, by emphasizing human capabilities. Objectives: The present study aimed to investigate the impact of positive psychology in online group meetings on the spiritual well-being and positive and negative effects of Iranian working women during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: The present study was a clinical trial conducted with a pre-test, post-test, 1-month follow-up, and a control group conducted on all Iranian working women aged 18 - 45 years who were users of social networks (such as Instagram, Telegram, and WhatsApp) in 2022 - 2023. The sample was selected by convenience sampling and included 52 women assigned to the experimental (26 women) and control (26 women) groups. Data were collected using the Spiritual Well-Being scale (SWBS) of Paloutzian and Ellison and the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS). The experimental group received 6 one-hour training sessions. The data were analyzed using a multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) through SPSS software (version 22). Results: The MANCOVA results revealed that after the intervention, there was a significant difference between the groups regarding the positive affect variable (P < 0.001), while no difference was observed between the two groups in spiritual well-being and negative affect (P > 0.05). Conclusions: The findings recommend interventions based on positive psychology to increase positive affect due to its emphasis on the positive points of the current situation and strengthening them, leading to the adoption of an active stance towards life. On the other hand, the insignificant effect of the treatment on spiritual well-being and negative effects necessitates more studies and more serious and long-term interventions.

Gender and Anticommunism in Children’s Social Protection in Postwar Greece

The article analyses the welfare activities provided by the Greek royal foundations in the period from their establishment in 1947 until 1968, focusing on their interventions concerning children and youth and their evolution over time. Placing the royal foundations’ activities in the Cold War and post-Civil War context, it argues that the intertwined state, parastatal and private initiatives, among which they had a hegemonic role, constituted the idiosyncratic Greek welfare state of the period, whose workings can be better grasped through the perspective of the mixed economy of welfare. Based on archival research, it highlights the gendered character of this specific version of welfare state-cum-mixed economy of welfare, and show that it was highly conservative, patriarchal and normative, based on ideological, political, class and gender exclusions. It depended on gendered massive voluntary action, especially women’s voluntary or low-paid work and elite women’s empowering activities.

IJCM_325A: A Study on Relationship of Working Status of Rural Adult Women with Their Mental Health in a Rural Block of West-Bengal

Background: Mental health is a major public health concern worldwide. Studies showed that women are impacted at a higher rate than men. There is definite scarcity of studies in public health domain, which reflect the mental health and its correlates among rural women specially in relation to their working status. Objectives: Present study envisages to assess and compare the mental health status of working and non-working adult rural women and find out the factors associated with the mental health status of the study participants. Methodology: A community based; cross-sectional study was done between August 2023 to November 2023 in a rural area of Hooghly district. The sample consists of 394 women (197 working women and 197 non-working women) were selected using Multistage random sampling from 3 villages. Using the predesigned, pretested interview schedule and self-reporting questionnaire, all relevant information was collected. The collected data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics using SPSS 16 version. Institutional Ethics Committee clearance was obtained. Results: The mean age of the study participants was 37 (± 10.09) years. Most of them belonged to socio-economic class IV. Majority of them were currently married. Around 22.33% of working women and 28.40% of non- working women had poor mental health. The factors associated with poor mental health among working women were work place atmosphere (p<0.01), attitude of colleagues (p=0.01), attitude of family members (p=0.01), social support satisfaction (p<0.01) and the factors associated with poor mental health among non-working women were satisfaction status of getting financial aid from family members (p=0.016), domestic violence (p<0.01). Conclusion: Awareness program regarding various aspects of mental health for both working and non-working women at family level, community level as well as at workplace could be a useful strategy in reducing this public health problem.

IJCM_57A: Assessment of quality of Sleep among working women of an urban area in Ernakulam district-A cross-sectional study

Background: Women from diverse backgrounds in India are now employed, facing challenges that impact their sleep and well-being. The demands of their jobs, extended working hours, family responsibilities, lifestyle changes, and various socio-demographic factors make unwinding and falling asleep difficult. Objective: The study was conducted to assess the quality of sleep and the sociodemographic factors affecting it among the working women of an urban area in Ernakulam District, Kerala. Methodology: A community based cross sectional study was conducted among 141working women aged 18 years and above residing at Perumbavoor municipality of Ernakulam district. Women who were paid wages for their work were considered as working women. From the 27 wards in the Perumbavoor municipality 14 wards were selected randomly. From each selected ward 10 households were sampled by systematic random sampling. If more than one working woman was found in a house only one woman was interviewed. Data was collected using semi structured questionnaire and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used to assess the quality of sleep. Results: 69.5% of the working women belonged to the age-group of 30-39 years, 80.1% belonged to APL category by colour of ration card, 90.1% were married, 22% worked for more than 8 hours and 11% worked in night shifts. Poor sleep quality was seen in 70.9 % of working women with mean PSQI Score 6.17(SD + 2.68).76.37% married women had poor sleep quality compared to 21.4%of unmarried/widowed women (?2=18.46, d f=1, p<.0001). Conclusion: The study suggests poor quality of sleep among working women. Counselling sessions could help them set up a daily routine that will help them improve their sleep patterns.

IJCM_201A: Understanding psychological stress in working women: A cross-sectional study in Mangalore

Background: Stress is defined by American Psychological Association is “Any uncomfortable emotional experience accompanied by predictable biochemical, physiological and behavioral changes.” It is a feeling of being overwhelmed, worried or run-down. Stress affects people of all ages, gender and circumstances and can lead to both physical and psychological health issues. Social contexts and family structures are particularly impacted by stress in women. This study aims to assess the levels of stress and associated factors of stress among working women in Mangalore. Methodology: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 298 working women, who were managerial staff/Clerical staff recruited from 2 Banks, 2 shopping malls, health care workers from 2 hospitals and doctors/ clerical staff from Medical College, Mangalore. Data was collected using a semi- structured questionnaire including sociodemographic characteristics and perceived stress scale and analyzed using SPSS version 24. Results were expressed in mean (standard deviation) and proportion. For comparison across the groups chi-square test was used. A ‘p’ value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Out of 298 women surveyed, 3.4% were found to be highly stressed, 83.9% were moderately stressed. Significant stress determinants were found to be associated with age, education, occupation, years of work experience and marital status- where the association is statistically significant. Working women prefer to go for leisure activities like outing with friends and family to reduce stress while other activities like smoking and alcohol consumption were least popular among the study participants. Conclusion: The study emphasizes the critical elements—age, education, employment, job experience, and years since marriage—that significantly influence women’s stress levels. Furthermore, it highlights that for working women, entertainment is the main way to decompress, and employers need to take note of this to help staff members maintain a healthy work-life balance.

The Study on Investment Behavior of Working Women in Chennai

The research project titled "A Study on Investment Behaviour of Working Women in Chennai" investigates the financial habits and preferences of working women in Chennai in the education sector, with a focus on their investment patterns. Primary data required for the descriptive research was collected through physical questionnaires. The study aims to analyze the impact of factors such as age, income levels, education, and employment sectors on investment behavior, as well as the influence of digitalization skills, financial knowledge, and risk tolerance levels. With a purposeful sample size of 350 working women and a purposive sampling technique. The percentage analysis, Weighted Average, Regression analysis, and ANOVA were performed for the research using SPSS (v16) software. The research provides valuable insights into the investment behavior of this demographic. The findings highlight the prevalence of short-term investment preferences, the need for enhanced financial literacy programs, and the influence of external factors on investment patterns.

MENTAL HEALTH AND RESILIENCE AMONG PAKISTANI WOMEN SUFFERING FROM POLYCYSTIC OVARY SYNDROME

Background: Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is associated with multiple mental health issues, however resilience can work as a buffer against mental illnesses. The objective of the present study was to investigate the relationship between mental health and resilience and to compare mental health and resilience between working and non-working women suffering from PCOS. Method: This cross-sectional comparative study was conducted in the gynaecological wards of government and private hospitals and clinics from January to June 2023. Two hundred women suffering from PCOS were selected through non-probability sampling. The data was collected through two reliable measures: the Mental Health Inventory 38-Urdu (MHI-38) and the Connor Davidson Resilience Scale-Urdu. Data was analyzed on SPSS-26 by means of Cronbach alpha reliability, Pearson correlation, Mean±SD, and t-tests. Results: Psychometric properties showed high reliability of the study scale for MHI 38-U (?=0.87) and for CDRS-U (?=0.82, p<0.001). There was a significantly positive correlation between mental health and resilience (r=0.85, p<0.001). Non-working women experience lower mental health (Mean±SD 85.37±9.91) than working women (Mean±SD 136.50±12.94), (p<0.001). Working women experience higher resilience (Mean±SD 65.06±8.71) than non-working women with PCOS (Mean±SD 47.55±12.17), (p<0.001). Conclusion: There was a significant positive relationship between mental health and resilience. Non-working women reported compromised mental health and low resilience compared to working women suffering from PCOS. Pak J Pysiol 2024;20(1):45-47

일-가정 병행 여성의 ‘괜찮은 일’ 및 ‘의미 있는 일’ 경험의 잠재프로파일 분석: 일의 심리학 이론을 중심으로

The study examines the patterns in the experiences of decent work and mean-ingful work of working women with children as well as the psychological processes pre-dicting these patterns based on the Psychology of Working Theory. The survey was com-pleted by 791 working women with children. The latent profile analysis identified three subtypes: highly meaningless work, which was characterized by the low level of all factors below the mean of the whole group and the particular lower level of meaningful work fac-tors; adequate work, where all factors were close to the mean of the whole group; and a fulfilling work, where both decent and meaningful work experiences were at a high level. Multinomial logistic regression analyses were used to examine psychological processes that predicted the probability to belong to these groups, and found that work volition, ca-reer adaptability, critical behavior, problem-focused coping, and cognitive reappraisal were significant predictors, after controlling for average household income per month. The findings imply that decent work may be prerequisites for meaningful work and psycho-logical processes can facilitate more positive work experiences and suggest interventions based on the levels of work experience.

Development of Processing of Agricultural Products by Women in Villages and its Role on the Economy of Rural Families

The current research aims to investigate the development of the process of agricultural products by women and its role in the economy of rural families in Takhar villages. Although rural women in Afghanistan work with a traditional approach to promote agricultural education, they have been able to play a key role in promoting their agricultural products. The present study was carried out in Takhar province, Afghanistan, in 2023. The Cross-Sectional design method was used to collect the data. The research questionnaire includes five basic parts and two districts: (Kalafgan and Baharag). A multistage sampling technique was used to collect the data. In the present research, we selected 80 respondents randomly for the study. The findings of the present study show that agricultural products of rural women in Takhar province are considered one of the important achievements that provided not only the job of them but also their agricultural incomes a helpful and meaningful impact on the economy of their families, which means 47.5% of respondents agree that their agricultural products can play a good role in their family's economy, so 40% of them have a moderate view for this and the rest of them (12.5%) considered their agricultural products are not enough to grow of their family economy. Therefore, we can recognize that agricultural products can impact the economy of rural families in Takhar province. Also, the interview findings of the present research show that creating a foundation for the work of rural women in the field of agricultural products can help achieve the following goals: Women achieving independence in all matters, especially economic matters, getting Women rid of poverty unemployment and finding prosperity, empowerment and capacity building for rural women, freeing rural women from family violence due to economic problems, raising the economic level of rural families, proper use of rural women's labor force for the growth of the local economy and finally laying groundwork for the activation of women in all matters.

Experience of working women in Kisangani (DRC) on the practice of exclusive breastfeeding

Introduction: The aim of the study was to demonstrate working mothers' experience of exclusive breastfeeding, to identify what these working mothers expect from exclusive breastfeeding, to assess the satisfaction they derive from exclusive breastfeeding, to determine their representation of exclusive breastfeeding and to analyze their attitudes towards exclusive breastfeeding. Methodology: We used a qualitative and phenomenological approach, based on free direct interviews. It involved 5 working women found in pre-school consultations at the Saint Joseph Reference Health Centre from August 1st to September 12, 2023. Results: Respondents were aware of exclusive breastfeeding from a variety of sources. Almost all the respondents had practiced exclusive breastfeeding in spite of their daily occupations. They expected their children to be healthy and protected from illness. They had experienced satisfaction in practicing exclusive breastfeeding in spite of their daily occupations, but they were not so satisfied with the fact that in their workplaces there was no suitable space for practicing exclusive breastfeeding. The respondents were relatively convinced that breast milk provided good health for their children and was an ideal and natural means of contraception. Conclusion: The combination of work and exclusive breastfeeding is a serious problem for working women. Daily occupation could be a handicap for promoting exclusive breastfeeding.

An Analysis of Financial Literacy among Working Indian Women

This study looks into working women's financial literacy in India. The survey looks on Indian women's knowledge of investing, savings, and insurance among other financial topics. A survey was distributed online to 500 working women of different ages and income levels as part of the study's quantitative research approach to gather data. The study's conclusions demonstrate that working women in India possess little to no financial literacy, with a very small proportion having enough knowledge of matters pertaining to money. The study also demonstrates the influence of a number of factors on women's financial literacy, including age, income, education, and work experience.

Revitalizing Women`s Success: The Power of Leadership, Training, and Innovation for Entrepreneurs in Indonesia

Objective - This research was motivated by data from the Indonesian Entrepreneurs Association (IWAPI), which revealed a significant majority of small and medium-sized entrepreneurs (98%) among its 30,000 members. Methodology/Technique – Previous studies on women entrepreneurs' performance had limitations regarding variables and sectors. Therefore, this study analyzed various factors and sectors that impacted women entrepreneurs in the Jabodetabek (Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, Bekasi) region. Finding – This study invented novelty, including new knowledge related to variables that affect women entrepreneur performance, especially in the MSMEs sector with a wider area. This study was quantitative research with 246 respondents and was analyzed using SmartPLS Software. The results found that while leadership had some influence on innovative work behavior and women entrepreneurs' performance, the significance was limited. Novelty – Additionally, training and development significantly impacted both innovative work behavior and women entrepreneurs' performance, with the latter being mediated by the former. Ultimately, innovative work behavior significantly influenced women entrepreneurs' performance. Type of Paper: Empirical JEL Classification: D83, D89. Keywords: Entrepreneurs, Women Entrepreneurs, Leadership, Training and Development, Innovative Work Behavior. Reference to this paper should be referred to as follows: Pertiwi, D. I; Hikmah, N.N; Harianja, V.G; Rohman, A. (2024). Revitalizing Women`s Success: The Power of Leadership, Training, and Innovation for Entrepreneurs in Indonesia, GATR-Global J. Bus. Soc. Sci. Review, 12(1), 25–33. https://doi.org/10.35609/gjbssr.2024.12.1(3)

EU directive 2023/970: strengthening the application of the principle of equal pay

In May 2023, Directive 2023/970 was issued on strengthening the application of the principle of equality for men and women for equal work or work of equal value through pay transparency and enforcement mechanisms. Its basic task is to introduce transparency of remuneration systems by employers and EU Member States and to enable and facilitate the overcoming of procedural obstacles used by businesses that do not comply with anti-discrimination standards applicable in the EU for employees, mainly women, subjected to inferior treatment. The directive has inspired citizens of EU Member States to exercise their legal protection against discrimination and inconsistency of business conduct in matters relating to the principle of equal pay. They have the right to pursue compensation claims through bodies representing wronged employees, state institutions and agencies acting on behalf of multiple people. A campaign has been launched in the EU to overcome stereotypes in labour relations related to the gender of people employed and applying for jobs.