Psycho-physiological Problems among Dual Career Women: A Cause of Stress

Abstract As women enter the work force, they have to face some physical and psychological stresses in the work environment. They have to bear pressure created by the multiple roles they have to play in conflicting situations, which may adversely affect their job performance. More than a quarter million working women surveyed and observed difficulty in balancing work and family. Keeping in mind the above situation, the study was planned with the objectives to study the effects of stress on physiological and psychological parameters and to suggest possible approaches to stress management. For this an experimental research design was chosen. Various physiological and psychological tests and observation sheets were used to ascertain the effects of stress. Nearby areas of Uttarakhand state were selected for the study and the purposive sampling design was used to select the study area and sample size. A total sample size of 125 respondents, having equal representatives (25 each) from the five job categories was taken. The major findings of the study are that a considerable average difference in blood pressure (7.9 mmHg) and pulse pressure (5.0 mmHg) was found among the people working in private sector, whereas the difference in heart rate, respiration rate and temperature was found more among the workers of bank/LIC as 9.2 beats/min, 5.8 cycles/min and 0.56oF respectively. In case of psychological parameters, aptitude test and letter cancellation test was done and found that the performance of the workers reduces in the evening as compare to morning and the difference was 7.16 and 5.68 respectively, which altogether shows the physical as well as psychological stress among them.