Long-term sickness absence during pregnancy and the gender balance of workplaces

Melsom, Anne May

doi:10.1177/1403494814541596

Cited by 16 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…So far, sickness absence norms in relation to gendered occupations have not been tested, but several studies suggest a tendency of higher sickness absence rates in female-dominated occupations or workplaces [ 38 , 39 ]. This tendency could imply that sickness absence norms are more lenient in cases of female-dominated occupations compared to male-dominated or gender-integrated occupations, particularly because past research indicates that female-dominated occupations are not unhealthier than male-dominated occupations are [ 12 , 13 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gender equality in sickness absence tolerance: Attitudes and norms of sickness absence are not different for men and women

et al. 2018

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Previous research offers limited understanding as to why sickness absence is higher among women than among men, but attitudes and norms have been suggested as plausible explanations of this gender gap. The purpose of the present study is to examine whether the gender gap in sickness absence reflects gender differences in sickness absence attitudes or gendered norms of sickness absence in society. The analyses are based on data from a factorial survey experiment covering 1,800 male and female employed respondents in Norway in 2016. Each participant was asked to evaluate whether sick leave would be reasonable in six unique, hypothetical sickness absence scenarios (i.e. vignettes) in which occupation, gender and reason for sick leave varied. Sick leave judgments were regressed on respondent gender and vignette gender using binary logistic regressions across three cut points. Overall, we did not find a substantial gender difference in either attitudes towards sickness absence or sickness absence norms. However, further analyses indicated more tolerant social norms of sickness absence for employees in gender-dominated occupations than for employees in gender-integrated occupations. This pattern could be a result of the type of work attributed to these occupations rather than their gender composition. Contrary to popular belief, we conclude that widely held attitudes and norms of sickness absence are unlikely to be drivers of the gender gap in sickness absence. The results can be useful for policies and interventions aimed at safeguarding gender equality in the labour market.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gender equality in sickness absence tolerance: Attitudes and norms of sickness absence are not different for men and women

et al. 2018

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“…Outside of these periods, a pregnant worker may take ordinary SL but will receive 50% of her salary. Several factors have been reported in the literature to be associated with SL during pregnancy: occupational groups [4, 8, 9, 12–14], assisted reproductive therapy (ART) [15], body mass index [14, 15], social benefits [16, 17], attitudes regarding SL in the workplace [6, 10, 16], and young women [8]. Also, some occupational exposures have also been associated with SL during pregnancy [4, 7, 13, 15, 16, 18, 19].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exposure to occupational hazards for pregnancy and sick leave in pregnant workers: a cross-sectional study

Henrotin

Vaissière

Etaix³

et al. 2017

Ann of Occup and Environ Med

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BackgroundThis study aimed to investigate the association between exposure to occupational hazards for pregnancy and sick leave (SL) in pregnant workers.MethodsA cross-sectional study was performed in French occupational health services in 2014. Occupational hazards for pregnancy were assessed by occupational health physicians (OHPs). After delivery and at the time of returning to work, 1,495 eligible workers were interviewed by OHPs. Information on SL was self-reported. Risk ratios (RRs) were calculated from multivariable analyses based on a generalized linear model with a Bernoulli distribution and a log link adjusted for selected confounders for binary outcomes or zero-inflated negative binomial regression for count outcomes.ResultsAmong recruited workers, 74.9% presented “at least one SL” during pregnancy. After adjustment, the cumulative index of occupational hazards (0, 1–2, 3–4, ≥ 5 risks) for pregnancy was significantly associated with “at least one SL” during pregnancy in a dose–response relationship. This gradient was also observed with “early SL” (<15 week gestation): from 1 to 2 risks, RR = 1.48 (95% confidence intervals (CIs): 0.92-2.38); from 3 to 4 risks, RR = 2.03 (95% CI: 1.25-3.30); equal to or higher than five risks, RR = 2.90 (95% CI: 1.89-4.44); with “duration of absence” (adjusted mean): from 1 to 2 risks, m = 38.6 days; from 3 to 4 risks, m = 46.8 days; equal to or higher than five risks, m = 53.8 days. We also found that deprivation, pregnancy at risk, assisted reproductive therapy, work-family conflicts, home-work commuting felt as difficult and young age are associated with a higher risk of SL.ConclusionsOur results support the assertion that pregnant workers exposed to occupational hazards for pregnancy without medical complications are also at risk of taking SL during pregnancy. More prevention in the workplace for pregnant workers exposed to occupational hazards could reduce SL.

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“…as is required by law. For the independent variable, women were assigned to one of three age categories based on their age as of December 31, 2012, and following birthrates from Catalonia during the study period: early-reproductive age (25)(26)(27)(28)(29)(30)(31)(32)(33)(34), middle-reproductive age (35)(36)(37)(38)(39)(40)(41)(42)(43)(44), and late-reproductive age (45-54). In Catalonia, between 2012 and 2014, more than 97% of the pregnancies corresponded to women with ages between 20 and 44.…”

Section: Plos Onementioning

confidence: 99%

Do birthrates contribute to sickness absence differences in women? A cohort study in Catalonia, Spain, 2012-2014

et al. 2020

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This study explores the differences in sickness absence trends in women according to reproductive age group and medical diagnoses. Methods Data were obtained from two administrative registries: the Continuous Working Life Sample and the Catalonian Institute of Medical Evaluations from 2012 to 2014, containing 47,879 female employees. Incidence rates and incidence risk ratios derived from Poisson and negative binomial models were calculated to compare sickness absence trends among reproductive age groups based on Catalonian birthrates: early-reproductive (25-34 years old), middle-reproductive (35-44) and late-reproductive (45-54), according to diagnostic groups, selected diseases, type of contract, occupational category, and country of origin. Results Younger women show a higher incidence of overall sickness absence compared to latereproductive-aged women. Incidence risk ratios of sickness absence decreased significantly from early-reproductive to late-reproductive age for low back pain, hemorrhage in early pregnancy, nausea and vomiting, and abdominal and pelvic pain. Discussion The higher incidence of sickness absence due to pregnancy-related health conditions in early-reproductive women compared to other reproductive age groups, may explain the sickness absence differences by age in women. Proper management of sickness absence related to pregnancy should be a goal to reduce the sickness absence gap between younger and older women.

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Long-term sickness absence during pregnancy and the gender balance of workplaces

Cited by 16 publications

References 25 publications

Gender equality in sickness absence tolerance: Attitudes and norms of sickness absence are not different for men and women

Gender equality in sickness absence tolerance: Attitudes and norms of sickness absence are not different for men and women

Exposure to occupational hazards for pregnancy and sick leave in pregnant workers: a cross-sectional study

Do birthrates contribute to sickness absence differences in women? A cohort study in Catalonia, Spain, 2012-2014

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