Women’S Health And Safety Issues In The Workplace

The topic I have chosen pertains to women’s safety and health issues in the workplace. In my research, I will touch upon gender related issues in the workforce, but the focus will be related to women. One of the subtopics I want to explore in my research is gender differences in terms of hazards and what hazard occurs most with women. By gender differences in hazards, I want to discuss what hazard occurs most in men and women and any reasons related. Another subtopic I am interested in exploring relate to how women’s work-related issues can differ from men’s work-related issues.

To add on, I want to focus on the factors that contribute to these gender differences in the workforce such as the variety of jobs being performed. Through quick research, I have found that a cause for some of these differences are preference in work such as women preferring work that is stress-free or socially involved (Stier & Yaish, 2014). Additionally, an issue I would want to elaborate more on could relate to women’s experience with harassment or violence at work, which could impact a woman’s behaviour and as well as their mental health (VicHealth, 2012).

Purpose of Choosing the Topic

The reasons I chose women’s health and safety issues in the workforce are due to my interests in gender disparities and my connection to the topic.

First, I chose this topic since I appreciate anything that discusses gender issues thus doing more research on a topic like this would be more enjoyable personally. To add on, I have an interest in the differences between men and women. Whether it would be cultural or social differences, I enjoy learning more about it. Second, I chose this topic since I think I will have a better ‘understanding’ of the issues I will come across as I am a young woman. Additionally, despite not being in the workplace long enough for a real experience, I have undergone work at a job where my life could have been affected by a safety hazard. From my experience as a woman, I was given tasks that were not very laborious in terms of using my strength. My short experience pushed me into wanting to understand more of what women in the workforce go through in terms of health and safety.

Recommendations in Solving These Issues

I think most of the issues mentioned thus far stem from the gender disparity. For example, in male-dominated fields affecting women, I think there should be programs or events that would ‘push’ women into involving themselves in these women-sparse fields. An example is the technical field that is dominated by men. Many universities and even high schools implement programs and courses to encourage female involvement (Stanford, n. d. ). Another issue such as the violence affecting women in the workplace is a topic more people should be aware of, so campaigns and anything that can raise awareness could be put in place. Additionally, there should be more resources women can be able to reach to aid them if any situation related arises.

Five Questions

1. One question I want to research is how do men related issues differ from women related issues in the workplace? For this, I think most of the answers will relate to the physical differences in men and women such as how women may have different issues pertaining to reproductive health and maternity leave while those may be nonexistent for men (International Labour Organization, 2014).
2. The second question I want to look up is how do hazards affect men and women differently? I can assume men and women are given different tasks in most jobs. To add on, men and women have major physical differences that might factor in how an injury can occur more in men than women and vice versa.
3. The third question I want to research is what are the factors related to gender differences in the workplace? Some factors for this question might involve society, culture, and the type of jobs being performed.
4. The fourth question I want to research is how are male-dominated work fields affecting women in terms of health and safety? An answer might involve the dynamics if there were more men than women in a field of work.
5. The last question I want to research is how does violence in the workplace affect women physically and mentally? Some answers for this question might include stress, illnesses, and things related.

Resources and Data Available

The Trades Union Congress, or ‘TUC’, provides pages of research on different topics in relation to the workplace. Some topics are organized into subtopics such as equality and gender with the latter as a subtopic. One report that I have interest in using is the “Gender in occupational safety and health” since it outlines issues involving gender in the workplace. Additionally, the TUC document acknowledges the disparities between men and women such as the employment experience the two sexes encounter. As an example, TUC mentioned women dominating roles with “less visible harm” and men gravitating towards “heavy and dangerous work” (Trades Union Congress, 2017). Another resource available is the United Kingdom’s Parliament website that offers many publications from different committees of the House of Commons.

One committee I have interest in is the ‘Women and Equalities Committee’ that provide a variety of documents relating to the topic I chose. Another committee, the ‘Trade and Industry Committee’, has a document on gender and the differences involved in the workplace and outlines the causes of these differences. One example of a cause is due to certain careers and its fields that are “often given out only to the traditional sex” (The House of Commons, 2005). In brief, the TUC, Parliament website, and many others offer a variety of resources I can use in my research.