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Social and Family Issues in Shift Work and Non Standard Working Hours pp 153–179Cite as

Gender Differences in Safety, Health and Work/Family Interference—Promoting Equity

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Abstract

The European labor market is still acting to women’s detriment. Among various projects, measures are in place against sex role segregation at work, vertical segregation within organizational hierarchies, and the uneven division of domestic labor. Strategic plans (Commission of the European Communities, 2007–2012) have been developed to address gender differences in safety and health at work and to promote equality. Inequalities reflect the histories of a particular country and its policies (cohort effects), life cycles (differential representations of social roles) and individual opportunities encountered during the life course to develop adequate coping strategies and working experience. For these reasons, gender issues are connected to age and historical period of birth determining differential needs in career, in length and scheduling of working hours. Because few studies in occupational health have examined these factors in Italy, we tried to carry out a review of studies focused on gender problems and their determinants with the intent to improve researches in occupational health and preventive projects. Moreover we analyzed studies about work related stress carried out on Italian workers to appreciate the presence of gender problems and determinants such as parenting responsibilities, work hours and work schedules, perceptions of organizational equity, work-family interference, flexibility and variability of working hours. Confirming gender inequalities, statistical analysis shows worse outcomes for females due to time pressure and lack of reward for efforts at work and at home. Interventions are discussed in terms of democratic participation in preventive programs as well.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, via San Barnaba 8, 20146, Milan, Italy

    Donatella Camerino

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  1. Donatella Camerino
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Correspondence to Donatella Camerino .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Poznań, Poland

    Irena Iskra-Golec

  2. Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut Department of Psychology, STORRS, Connecticut, USA

    Janet Barnes-Farrell

  3. Faculty of Health Sciences, The University of Sydney Faculty of Health Sciences, Lidcombe, New South Wales, Australia

    Philip Bohle

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Camerino, D. (2016). Gender Differences in Safety, Health and Work/Family Interference—Promoting Equity. In: Iskra-Golec, I., Barnes-Farrell, J., Bohle, P. (eds) Social and Family Issues in Shift Work and Non Standard Working Hours. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-42286-2_8

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