Women's Work and Stress on the Rise

Stress is taking its toll on Canadian women, according to the research findings of economists Lynn Lethbridge, Martha MacDonald and Shelley Phipps.

The findings, presented today, April 15, at Dalhousie University, show that the 1990s was a period of rising stress for men and particularly for women. There has been no respite for women as traditional child care, housework and elder care responsibilities remain constant in the face of increasing hours in paid work.

"Over half -- 51.2 per cent -- of women aged 25 to 54 with full- time paid employment in 1998 felt constantly under stress in comparison with 41.6 per cent of men," said Ms. Phipps, a Dalhousie University economist. "This figure has increased dramatically since 1992, when 45.9 per cent of women and 37.4 per cent of men with full-time employment reported feeling constantly stressed."

General Social Survey (GSS) data, collected from February 1998 to January 1999, were used in the research. The findings were compiled in a report titled, Taking Its Toll: Implications of Paid and Unpaid Work Responsibilities for Women's Well-Being.

Taking its Toll is part of the Healthy Balance Research Program, funded by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research. While the report details the experience of Canadians as a whole, qualitative research to be available in the fall will describe the experiences of Nova Scotians. A major survey of Nova Scotians' health status in relation to paid work and unpaid caregiving will also be carried out within the year.

"Balancing work and family life is the key challenge for women's equality in this generation. It poses enormous challenges for individuals, families, communities, employers and governments," said Brigitte Neumann, executive director of the Nova Scotia Advisory Council on the Status of Women.

The Healthy Balance Research Program is a partnership of the Advisory Council on the Status of Women and the Atlantic Centre of Excellence for Women's Health.