Women and men at workAnalyzing occupational stress and well-being from a gender perspective

Abstract

Research in Occupational Health Psychology (OHP) demonstrates that different (work and non-work) environmental and individual characteristics might affect workers’ well-being. However, these findings have been generalized to both women and men. Both women’s and men’s occupational health merit scientific attention, as researchers need to consider the effect of gender on how occupational health issues are experienced, expressed, defined, and addressed. It thus seems important to expand on current knowledge within the discipline of OHP by including Gender Studies (GS). The aim of this paper is once the theoretical framework is established, to summarize the main factors that have been found empirically to describe psychosocial health differences/similarities between women and men at work. Finally some advices are given about a new agenda for future research and intervention in the field of OHP that takes the gender perspective into account.