Display options
Cite
Krantz G, Lundberg U. Workload, work stress, and sickness absence in Swedish male and female white-collar employees. Scand J Public Health. 2006;34(3):238-46doi: 10.1080/14034940500327372.
Krantz, G., & Lundberg, U. (2006). Workload, work stress, and sickness absence in Swedish male and female white-collar employees. Scandinavian journal of public health, 34(3), 238-46. https://doi.org/10.1080/14034940500327372
Krantz, Gunilla, and Lundberg, Ulf. "Workload, work stress, and sickness absence in Swedish male and female white-collar employees." Scandinavian journal of public health vol. 34,3 (2006): 238-46. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/14034940500327372
Krantz G, Lundberg U. Workload, work stress, and sickness absence in Swedish male and female white-collar employees. Scand J Public Health. 2006;34(3):238-46. doi: 10.1080/14034940500327372. PMID: 16754581.
Copy Download .nbib Format: NLM
Share it on

Scand J Public Health. 2006;34(3):238-46. doi: 10.1080/14034940500327372.

Workload, work stress, and sickness absence in Swedish male and female white-collar employees.

Scandinavian journal of public health

Gunilla Krantz, Ulf Lundberg

Affiliations

  1. Centre for Health Equity Studies (CHESS), Stockholm University and Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. [email protected]

PMID: 16754581 DOI: 10.1080/14034940500327372

Abstract

AIMS: This study aimed to analyse, in a homogeneous population of highly educated men and women, gender differences in self-reported sickness absence as related to paid and unpaid work and combinations of these (double exposure), as well as to perceived work stress and work-home conflict, i.e. conflict between demands from the home and work environment.

METHODS: A total of 743 women and 596 men, full-time working white-collar employees randomly selected from the general Swedish population aged 32-58, were assessed by a Swedish total workload instrument. The influence of conditions in paid and unpaid work and combinations of these on self-reported sickness absence was investigated by multivariate regression analyses. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to assess differences between men and women.

RESULTS: Overtime was associated with lower sickness absence, not only for men but also for women, and a double-exposure situation did not increase the risk of sick leave. Contrary to what is normally seen, conflict between demands did not emerge as a risk factor for sickness absence for women, but for men.

CONCLUSIONS: Our assumption that sickness absence patterns would be more similar for white-collar men and women than for the general population was not confirmed. However, the women working most hours were also the least sick-listed and assumed less responsibility for household chores. These women were mainly in top-level positions and therefore we conclude that men and women in these high-level positions seem to share household burdens more evenly, but they can also afford to employ someone to assist in the household.

MeSH terms

Publication Types