Work-family interface and mental health inequalities between women and men: A gendered exposure model across Canadian provinces

IF 4.9 2区医学 Q1 PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH

Social Science & Medicine Pub Date : 2025-03-07 DOI:10.1016/j.socscimed.2025.117935

Jaunathan Bilodeau , Nancy Beauregard , Victor Y. Haines III , Amélie Quesnel-Vallée

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Women face a higher risk of common mental health disorders than men, an association that has largely been attributed to their greater exposure to stressors. However, studies testing the exposure hypothesis among the employed population rarely take into account the work-family interface and neglect the macro-social context in the construction of gender.

This study examines a gendered exposure model, stratified by Canadian province, in which differences between working women and men in work and family conditions, work-family conflict, and work-family enrichment are linked to self-reported mental health inequalities. Path analyses were conducted for Alberta, British Columbia, Quebec, and Ontario using data from 6,786 employed respondents to the 2022 Canadian Community Health Survey. The exposure hypothesis was tested through indirect associations between sex categories and mental health via work and family conditions and the work-family interface.

Findings show that in Quebec, women report higher work stress, which is indirectly linked to poorer mental health through increased work-to-family conflict. In Alberta, women report more work stress, which is associated with poorer mental health. Women also work fewer hours than men, a factor linked to poorer mental health in Quebec and Ontario.

Overall, the results indicate that work-family stressors and resources contribute more to provincial differences in mental health than in gendered mental health inequalities, highlighting the need to differentiate between general determinants of mental health and the factors driving mental health disparities. This study emphasizes the importance of integrating the work-family interface when documenting the structuring influence of gender on mental health inequalities.

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来源期刊

Social Science & Medicine PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH-

CiteScore

9.10

自引率

5.60%

发文量

762

审稿时长

38 days

期刊介绍： Social Science & Medicine provides an international and interdisciplinary forum for the dissemination of social science research on health. We publish original research articles (both empirical and theoretical), reviews, position papers and commentaries on health issues, to inform current research, policy and practice in all areas of common interest to social scientists, health practitioners, and policy makers. The journal publishes material relevant to any aspect of health from a wide range of social science disciplines (anthropology, economics, epidemiology, geography, policy, psychology, and sociology), and material relevant to the social sciences from any of the professions concerned with physical and mental health, health care, clinical practice, and health policy and organization. We encourage material which is of general interest to an international readership.