Women, Ergonomics and Repetitiveness

Abstract

A fair comparison of the conditions in which men and women work is inconsistent, since although they are interacting with the same objects, means and conditions of work, there are differences in the way each gender work, so it condition that naturally the productive systems segregate and thus establish jobs typically "feminized" based on the best adaptation of women to repetitive work low load. From a physical and psychological point of view, female workers have greater exposure to low strength, repetitive motion of upper extremities that causes gender disparity with its health consequences. This chapter documents a study where females were found to have lower biomechanical negative effects in the upper extremities compared to similar male exposures and a higher rate of productivity, especially in tasks of low force demand. This can be attributed to the fact that men used more strength than what was strictly necessary to accomplish the task, mobilizing a greater number of muscle groups than women; females also showed a greater resilience to conditions of high repetitiveness that demanded high-quantitative psychological demands and still maintain productivity rates over time, evidencing also lower rates of rotation and absenteeism caused by musculoskeletal disorders.