International Indexed &Referred Research Journal, May, 2012. ISSN- 0975-3486, RNI-RAJBIL 2009/30097;VoL.

III *ISSUE-32

Research Paper- Teaching of Mathematics

Working Women and Stress

* Sunil Kumar May, 2012 * Asst. Prof. in Teaching of Mathematics, M.M. College of Education, Fatehabad, (Haryana)
A B S T R A C T
Occupational stress is a growing problem in Indian work places and may be a problem of particular magnitude for working women, in part because of sex specific job stressors. Research indicates that these stressors may have a negative impact on health and well-being about and beyond the effects of general job stressors. Further, research from across the globe reports an alarming increase in the occupational stress, experienced by the working women. A number of stress- reduction strategies have been shown to be useful for working women, ranging from the more common individual stress management techniques to higher level higher level interventions focused on removing the sources of occupational stress. This paper provides a brief overview of occupational stress and its affect on working women and identifies some major sources of stress such as: SexSpecific Occupational Stressors; Sex Discrimination; Insufficient Funding and Resources; Work Overload; Poor Management Practice; Job Insecurity; Insufficient Recognition; Reward and Combining Work and Family. Again this paper approaches to reduce the negative effects of job stress like Occupational stress intervention i.e Training Copying Strategies, Progressive Relaxation; Other Stress Management Techniques; Provide Greater Job Security; Review Work Load; Develop Promotion; Recognition and Reward; Improve Communication; Develop Management Skills. Key Words: working women, stress

Introduction Women have nearly achieved parity with men in terms of work force participation in India. In comparison with the turn of the century, when women constituted 12 % of the work force, they constitute 46 % of the workforce today. A result of this change is that women are now exposed to most of the same occupational safety and health hazards as men, including occupational stress. Occupational stress has become a common problem in the working population and Indian women in particular. What is Occupational Stress? :- Occupational stressors are working conditions that overwhelm the adaptive capabilities and resources of workers, resulting in acute psychological, behavioral, or physical reactions. Prolonged exposure to a stressful working condition may lead to illness or disease. This definition emphasizes the role of stressful occupational conditions in worker health and well-being. Causes of Occupational Stress:- Sex-Specific Occupational Stressors Occupational stress focused almost exclusively on men and, consequently, certain sex-specific occupational stressors, including various forms of sex discrimination and difficulties combining work and family, received little attention. Sex Discrimination. :- Sex discrimination is inequitable treatment based on sex and includes discriminatory hiring and promotion practices, salary differentials between equally qualified men and women, limited career advancement opportunities, and sexual harassment.

Combining Work and Family.:- Working women still retain primary responsibility for dependent care and household chores, however. Women are far more likely than men to report taking time from work to address their children's needs and are more likely to have elder care responsibilities. Due to overload in work in home as well as in office leads a stressful life by women. Lack of funding, resources and support services: Lack of research funding and merit-based distribution of funds, and a lack of funding to attend conferences and travel for research purposes. This resulted in academics feeling demoralized and disillusioned about conducting research, yet aware that they must `publish or perish'. Infrequent issues : - Feeling stress as a consequence of not having the experience, skills or knowledge required to perform their roles, or having to work with and rely on other staff members who do not have the required skills or knowledge. Task overload: -Major source of stress was the increasing workload and number of responsibilities that they were expected to perform. Poor leadership and management: A major source of stress was the lack, or limited nature, of staff consultation by management. Staff expressed their resentment at the lack of opportunity to contribute to important decisions that would impact upon them. Job insecurity: - The management of the redundancy process was described as poor and often resulted in the ill-treatment of redundant staff (often colleagues), which further contributed to a climate of stress within the workplace. General staff in particular described

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International Indexed &Referred Research Journal, May, 2012. ISSN- 0975-3486, RNI-RAJBIL 2009/30097;VoL.III *ISSUE-32

the difficulty and stress associated with working on a contractual basis, reporting that they frequently did not know if their contract would be renewed until the last moment. Lack of promotion, reward and recognition: -The process of applying for promotion was also perceived to be stressful by several staV. Many staff referred to a lack of recognition and appreciation of staff achievements and contributions within their workplace. Effect of Occupational Stress on Working Women Professional consequences: Current levels of occupational stress negatively impacted on their job performance, interpersonal work relations, their commitment to the authority, and their extra-role performance. Personal consequences: At a personal level, the current levels of occupational stress resulted in a range of physical and psychological health problems, and strained family and personal relations. Suffering physical health effects as a consequence of work-related stress. Suggestions to Remove Occupational Stress Prevention Ensure that the workload is in line with workers' capabilities and resources. Design jobs to provide meaning, stimulation, and opportunities for workers to use their skills. Clearly define workers' roles and responsibilities. Give workers opportunities to participate in decisions and actions affecting their jobs. Improve communications-reduce uncertainty about career development and future employment prospects. Provide opportunities for social interaction among workers. Establish work schedules that are compatible with demands and responsibilities outside the job. Reduction/controlling Individual interventions:- Training in coping strategies, progressive relaxation, or other stress management techniques, the goal of which is to help the worker deal more effectively with occupational stress. Stress Management Programs :- It has been shown to be effective in reducing symptoms of stress, but because they do not remove the sources of workplace stress, they may lose effectiveness over time. Health care professionals may find it difficult to diagnose and treat occupational stress-related health problems

for a number of reasons. Health care professionals are generally not trained to inquire about or to recognize occupational stress. However, when recognized, occupational stress-related symptoms or illnesses can be successfully treated. Job Redesign Intervention:- The most effective way of reducing occupational stress is to eliminate the stressors through organizational and job redesign interventions. Effective forms of job redesign include increasing job control by allowing workers to participate in decision making, increasing skill use by expanding job activities, and reducing work role conflict by clarifying job roles and responsibilities. Organizational changes that may be particularly beneficial for women are expanding promotion and career ladders, introducing such family support programs as flexible schedules and dependent care programs, and introducing clear, accessible, and enforced policies against sex discrimination and sexual harassment. Increased education and work experience:- Education enables women to enter more desirable and better-paying jobs with better career prospects. Unless organizations have and enforce policies that ensure equitable hiring and promotion regardless of sex, however, career and pay differentials will continue to exist between men and women. Conclusion:- Women are subject to the same workplace stressors and their health effects as men. They are, however, also subject to such sex-specific job stressors as sex discrimination and difficulties combining work and family that may pose additional risks to their health and well-being. Some strategies for reducing stressors in the workplace can be particularly beneficial for working women; these range from enhancing individual coping capabilities to job and organizationally focused interventions that actually remove the sources of occupational stress. The latter may be particularly beneficial for employers because they improve commitment and well-being among all workers, not just among the targeted populations. There is, however, a strong need for additional research on interventions to reduce work stress and ill health among employed women, especially those examining the impact of organizational policies and practices aimed at reducing sex discrimination.

R E F E R E N C E
1. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Labor force projec-tions. 2000. www.stats.bls.gov/news.release/ecopro.toc.htm. 2. Bond J, Galinsky E, Swanberg J. The 1997 National Study of the Changing Workforce. New York, NY: Families and Work Institute; 1997. 3. Work Trends Survey: Americans' Attitudes About Work, Employers and the Government. New Brunswick, NJ: John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers University; 1999. 4. Landrine H, Klonoff E. Discrimination Against Women: Prevalence, Consequences, Remedies. London: Sage; 1997. 5. Schneider K, Swan S, Fitzgerald L. Job-related and psychological effects of sexual harassment in the workplace: Empirical evidence from two organizations. J Appl Psychol. 1997;82:401-415. 6. Spalter-Roth R, Kalleberg A, Rasell E, et al. Managing Work and Family: Nonstandard Work Arrangements Among Managers and Professionals. Washington, DC: Economic Policy Institute; 1997. 7. Galinsky E, Bond J. The experiences of mothers and fathers in the U.S. labor force. In: Costello C, Krimgold B, eds. The American Woman 1996-1997: Where We Stand. New York, NY: Norton; 1996.

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