Women report more workplace stress than male colleagues, claims study ⁰

Women in the UK report more work-related stress than men because of workplace biases, the types of work carried out, the burden of taking on extra responsibilities at home and the perception of unequal pay, according to the latest figures from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). The HSE data suggests that women aged 25-54 in Britain are more stressed than their male contemporaries, with this pressure peaking for those aged 35-44, at a time when many are juggling family responsibilities such as caring for children and other family members. According to the HSE data for the period from 2013 to 2016, the prevalence of work-related stress as defined in the report among female workers was 2,250per 100,000, equivalent to around 270,000 workers. Among men the figures were 1,270 per 100,000, or around 200,000 workers. The HSE reported that 11 million working days were lost due to stress between 2015-2016, equating to 37 per cent of employment-related ill health and 45 per cent of days lost.

The HSE study found that incidents of workplace stress are also more commonly associated with  some of the sorts of work that have a predominantly female workforce. The HSE concluded: “The occupations and industries reporting the highest rates of work-related stress remain consistently in the health and public sectors of the economy. The reasons cited as causes of work-related stress are also workload, lack of managerial support and organisational change as the primary causative factors.”