Gender Issues in Occupational Stress

7.1 Why Gender Matters in Stress Research

Gender is not simply a biological category but a social one — shaped by cultural expectations, norms, and structural inequalities. Men and women experience different stressors, different physiological stress responses, and use different coping strategies.

7.2 Stressors Specific to Women in the Workplace

Stressor	Description
Double burden	Women in paid employment still perform majority of unpaid household and care work (time-use surveys: women do 5-6 hours domestic work/day vs 1-2 hours for men)
Glass ceiling	Invisible barriers to advancement; fewer women in senior roles creates role models deficit and psychological isolation
Gender pay gap	Financial stress from earning 20-30% less than male counterparts in same roles
Workplace harassment	Sexual harassment, microaggressions, gender-based discrimination; require constant vigilance (hypervigilance = chronic arousal)
Role conflict	Cultural expectations that women prioritise family over career; "maternal wall" discrimination
Tokenism	Being the only woman in a male-dominated field; increased visibility and pressure to represent all women

In India specifically: National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data consistently shows high rates of gender-based crimes. The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act (SHW) 2013 (Part B topic T132) was specifically enacted to address harassment-induced occupational stress for women.

7.3 Tend-and-Befriend Response (Taylor et al., 2000)

Shelley Taylor proposed that women's evolved stress response is not primarily "fight-or-flight" but "tend-and-befriend":

• Tending: Nurturing and protecting offspring and social group during stress
• Befriending: Creating and maintaining social networks for mutual aid

This response is mediated by oxytocin (released under stress in women but suppressed by male sex hormones) and promotes affiliation and care-giving behaviors. It explains why women show stronger social support utilisation as a coping mechanism.

7.4 Stress Among Men

While women face structural disadvantages, men face their own gender-specific stressors:

• Social norms against emotional expression ("men don't cry") lead to suppression of emotional distress
• Higher rates of substance abuse (alcohol, drugs) as avoidant coping
• Higher rates of completed suicide (men attempt less often but are more lethal methods)
• Pressure to be breadwinner — financial stress and identity tied to career success

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