A Qualitative Study of Work-Related Stress among Male Staff in Hong Kong's Social Welfare Sector

Abstract

The social welfare sector is a female-dominated environment. Thus, the needs of male staff are usually overlooked. This study aims to describe the stress experienced by male staff in Hong Kong’s social welfare sector. A qualitative research approach was adopted using multiple case studies. Forty participants were recruited by convenience sampling. Personal essays developed from guide questions were used in data collection, and content analysis was carried out. The results suggest the need for planning stress management programmes in this sector. Further research on the topic using triangulation and purposive sampling would be useful to confirm the results and compare the experience of stress among male social workers in Eastern and Western cultures.