Stress tolerance and adjustment among working and non-working women: A comparative study

Employment has a positive influence on the well-being of women. Meanwhile, many women find themselves doing double duty ’in the workplace and at home, which contribute to their experiencing role conflict ’and role overload ’The work stress, lack of social support and stressful work environments often lead to physical and psychological hazards or even contribute to worsening of existing health problems. The present study is an attempt to find out whether employment has any influence on the well-being of woman by the way she encounters stressful situations and how she adjust to it. The level of stress tolerance and adjustment of working and non-working women were compared for this purpose. The sample of the study constituted of 30 working and 30 non-working women selected randomly from Ernakulam district, Kerala. The tools used for the study were stress tolerance scale and Adjustment inventory. The scores obtained were analysed using t-test. The results showed that working and non-working women differed significantly in their level of stress tolerance and adjustment. Non-working women were found to be more stress tolerant than working women while working women showed better adjustment than non-working women. The study revealed that, employment has a great impact on stress tolerance and adjustment among women. Women will have to be trained to be financially independent and self sufficient. But this opportunity to work must be with dignity, which is reflected in equal opportunities.