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Exhausted and in need for recovery: Highly-educated women at work
Highly-educated women aged 50-64 years suffer most from work-related fatigue (NFR = need for recovery). This is the result of a study among 47,000 Dutch employees conducted by scientist of Maastricht University in the Netherlands. According to the scientists the findings are alarming, demand urgent measures and should be on the shortlist of policy makers, employers, and company doctors.
First of all reduced time pressure and emotional demand at work, adequate support for women's ambitions, and proper consideration for the work-private life balance are needed. Also coaching may help women to become more assertive and generate more job control, the scientists recommend. In addition, the problem of workplace violence must be adequately addressed according to the scientists. They are the strong opinion that work-related fatigue in women would significantly decrease if women were to occupy more leadership positions and top jobs. In such positions they would have greater autonomy and more opportunities to organise their work according to their own time schedules and insights.
For their study the Dutch scientists have looked into large representative samples of 80,000 Dutch employees (net response rate 33.0%; N = 47,263) which received the Netherlands working conditions survey questionnaire between 2005 and 2006. They then calculated the prevalence of high NFR for men and women with different age and education levels. The average prevalence of high NFR was 28.8% and was highest among highly educated women (35.2%) in particular those aged 50?64 years (40.3%). Second, logistic regression analyses were used to compare subgroups? NFR in relation to situational factors, working conditions, and health. Three comparisons were made: (1) highly educated women versus men; (2) highly educated versus lower educated women and; (3) older highly educated versus younger highly educated women.
Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20356432
