The purpose of this online empirical study was to examine the relationship between COVID‐19 stress, coping including substance use and behavioural disengagement, and avoidance behaviour early on in the COVID‐19 pandemic. Participants, recruited from Amazon's Mechanical Turk (MTurk, N = 730), were adults from Canada, the United States, Italy, Germany and the United Kingdom. Results of path analysis showed that feeling threatened by the virus, predicted greater COVID‐19 anxiety, which was related to greater substance use to cope with the virus, as well as more behavioural disengagement, which predicted less avoidance behaviour. Implications of the results are discussed, particularly the relationship between coping and avoidance behaviour during the pandemic.

Purpose -The present study sets out to compare women (N ¼ 24) and men (N ¼ 613) working on Norwegian oil rigs in the North Sea on work experiences, work satisfaction, perception of safety attitudes and safety climate, and psychological health. Design/methodology/approach -Data were collected using questionnaires from 1,022 women and men, a 59 percent response rate. Only those respondents working in traditionally male-dominated jobs were considered. Findings -Few differences were observed, suggesting that those women that continue in this occupation compare favorably with their male colleagues. Research limitations/implications -The findings should be considered tentative, given the small number of women taking part in the study. Practical implications -For the past three decades, women were encouraged and supported to enter non-traditional occupations (NTOs). NTOs were occupations that have traditionally been male-dominated. Only modest inroads have been made by females during this time. Women in NTOs typically report work experiences reflecting unique challenges, most resulting from the gender culture of their workplace and findings show that women that survive in these jobs report similar experiences to those of their male colleagues. Originality/value -The paper adds to one's knowledge of women's experiences in non-traditional jobs.