This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Web of Science (11) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Ginn, J. Articles by Sandell, J. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Balancing Home and Employment: Stress Reported by Social Services Staff

Dept of Sociology University of Surrey Guildford Surrey GU2 5XH

Jane Sandell

Dept of Midwifery City University Northampton Sq. London, EC1

The paper aims to contribute to an understanding of how stress from the combined responsibilities of home and employment varies according to the family circumstances and employment characteristics of women and men.

For women, family responsibilities are associated with shorter hours of employment and lower occupational achievement, whereas for men, marriage is a career asset. Yet the reason for women's underachievement is disputed: some researchers claim that women's part-time work in low-paid, low-status jobs represent women's voluntary choice. Others argue that women's employment options are constrained by their domestic responsibilities; and that reducing hours of work and modifying career aspirations may represent one way of balancing home and employment so as to minimise stress.

Data are used from the National Institute of Social Work (NISW) Workforce Survey of over 1000 women and men in four broad types of work in the social service departments of five English local authorities. Information is available on staff's perception of stress from combining paid and unpaid roles. We examine whether there are gender differences in reported stress among those who have structurally similar domestic circumstances; whether gender differences in stress can be explained in terms of occupational segregation and hours of employment; and whether the lower stress reported by part-time employees is independent of family responsibilities and type of occupation. A key concern is to assess whether part-time employment enables women with family responsibilities to avoid high levels of stress.

There was increased stress on those staff with dependent children or with informal caring commitments. Men reported higher stress than women, irrespective of family circumstances, but the difference disappeared once account was taken of type of work and hours. Family responsibilities and employment characteristics had independent effects on stress levels. Type of work, in terms of level of responsibility, had more influence on stress than hours worked. Among full-time non-manual staff, women with family responsibilities experienced more stress than equivalent men, suggesting that women's occupational advancement is achieved at greater cost in terms of stress than men's.

Work, Employment & Society, Vol. 11, No. 3, 413-434 (1997)
DOI: 10.1177/0950017097113002


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				L. Ryan Migrant Women, Social Networks and Motherhood: The Experiences of Irish Nurses in Britain Sociology, April 1, 2007; 41(2): 295 - 312. [Abstract] [PDF]

				B. Davey, T. Murrells, and S. Robinson Returning to work after maternity leave: UK nurses' motivations and preferences Work Employment Society, June 1, 2005; 19(2): 327 - 348. [Abstract] [PDF]

				C. Emslie, K. Hunt, and S. Macintyre `Gender' or `Job' Differences? Working Conditions amongst Men and Women in White-Collar Occupations Work Employment Society, December 1, 1999; 13(4): 711 - 729. [PDF]

				H. Jarvis The Tangled Webs We Weave: Household Strategies to Co-Ordinate Home and Work Work Employment Society, June 1, 1999; 13(2): 225 - 247. [Abstract] [PDF]