Explaining the gender gap in sickness absence

UnHope20 · 2021-02-10T23:35:21+00:00

In many western countries, women have a much higher rate of sickness absence than men. To what degree the gender differences in sickness absence are caused by gender differences in health is largely unknown.

Aims

To assess to what degree the gender gap in sickness absence can be explained by health factors and work- and family-related stressors.

Methods

Norwegian parents participating in the Tracking Opportunities and Problems (TOPP) study were asked about sickness absence and a range of factors possibly contributing to gender differences in sickness absence, including somatic and mental health, sleep problems, job control/demands, work–home conflicts, parent–child conflicts and stressful life events. Using a cross-sectional design, we did linear regression analyses, to assess the relative contribution from health and stressors.

Results

There were 557 study participants. Adjusting for health factors reduced the gender difference in sickness absence by 24%, while adjusting for stressors in the family and at work reduced the difference by 22%. A simultaneous adjustment for health factors and stressors reduced the difference in sickness absence by about 28%.

Conclusions

Despite adjusting for a large number of factors, including both previously well-studied factors (e.g. health, job control/demands) and lesser-studied factors (parent–child conflict and sexual assault), this study found that most of the gender gap in sickness absence remains unexplained. Gender differences in health and stressors account for only part of the differences in sickness absence. Other factors must, therefore, exist outside the domains of health, work and family stressors.

Title	Explaining the gender gap in sickness absence
Author	UnHope20
Upvotes	1
Comments	1
Date	February 10, 2021 11:31 PM UTC (5 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/Male_Studies
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/Male_Studies/comments/lh75j3/explaining_the_gender_gap_in_sickness_absence/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/Male_Studies/explaining-the-gender-gap-in-sickness-absence.1216484 https://theredarchive.com/post/1216484

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