Women's Work Responsibility

Most studies of women's roles have adopted rather formal and simplistic definition of these "roles," not allowing for their content and subjective meaning in the real context of women's lives (Hibbard & Pope, 1991; Arber, 1991). Thus, there is little doubt that the effect of employment on women's well-being strongly depends on the type and quality of the job, the extent of control and mastery in the workplace, and the balance of investments and rewards. Professional or managerial work affects women not in the same way as work on assembly line or in service sector. Women's socio-economic status and access to social support inside and outside of the family can also mediate role performance. Another important dimension of women's roles has to do with choice and necessity. "Public" roles, such as worker or social activist, are usually voluntary, and hence conducive to the sense of mastery and self-actualization. Conversely, caretaking roles are often experienced as "imposed," and lead to perceived loss of control and poorer mental health (Doress-Worters, 1994). Therefore, universal models of role interaction should be supplemented by the more contextualized studies in specific groups of women of different age, ethnicity and social standing.

Professional or managerial work affects women not in the same way as work on assembly line or in service sector. Women's socio-economic status and access to social support inside and outside of the family can also mediate role performance. Another important dimension of women's roles has to do with choice and necessity. "Public" roles, such as worker or social activist, are usually voluntary, and hence conducive to the sense of mastery and self-actualization. Conversely, caretaking roles are often experienced as "imposed," and lead to perceived loss of control and poorer mental health (Doress-Worters, 1994). Therefore, universal models of role interaction should be supplemented by the more contextualized studies in specific groups of women of different age, ethnicity and social standing.

The bulk of earlier social research on women's roles was typically focused on the roles of younger women, i.e. those of wife, mother of young children, and employee; few studies addressed the issue of role overload in older working women.

Women whose paid jobs also involve care-giving (e.g., nurses and daycare workers) or services (cleaning, sales, secretarial work) have especial trouble taking over their second (with children) and third (with parents) shifts at home. Since the bulk of working women in most economies are employed ...