WASHINGTON — Having a powerful job can impact the psyches of men and women
in opposite ways.
Women who have the power to hire, fire and influence pay tend to show more
signs of depression than women who don’t. Men in powerful positions tend to
have fewer symptoms of depression compared to men with less authority.
The findings are in the study, “Gender, Job Authority, and Depression,” which is published
in the December issue of the Journal of Health and Social Behavior.
Researchers believe chronic stress explains why women in authority positions
tend to show more signs of depression than men with job authority.
“Years of social science research suggests that women in authority positions
deal with interpersonal tension, negative social interactions, negative
stereotypes, prejudice, social isolation, as well as resistance from
subordinates, colleagues and superiors,” said lead study author Tetyana
Pudrovska, in a news release.
“Women in authority positions are viewed as lacking the assertiveness and
confidence of strong leaders. But when these women display such
characteristics, they are judged negatively for being unfeminine. This
contributes to chronic stress.”
She says women leaders shouldn’t be denied the
psychological rewards of higher status jobs and more should be done about
gender discrimination.
The study from the University of Texas at Austin and Iowa State University
considered more than 1,300 middle-aged men and 1,500 middle-aged women who
graduated from high schools in Wisconsin.
The National Institutes of Health’s National Institute on Aging helped pay for
the study.
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