High-flying women ‘face depression’

Published Nov 27, 2014

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London - Women bosses show more signs of depression than their junior female colleagues, a study has found.

Researchers said that while men feel better when they have more authority, the reverse is often true for women.

They studied 2 800 middle-aged participants of the Wisconsin Longitudinal Survey, who have been followed since they graduated from a US high school in 1957.

The team from the University of Texas noted their workplace responsibilities in 1993, aged 54, and their depressive symptoms in that year and in 2004, aged 65.

Texas professor Tetyana Pudrovska said: “Women with job authority – the ability to hire, fire and influence pay – have significantly more symptoms of depression than women without this power. In contrast, men with job authority have fewer symptoms of depression than men without.”

She added that the women in the study, published in the Journal of Health and Social Behaviour, “are advantaged in terms of most characteristics that are strong predictors of positive mental health”.

She continued: “These women have more education, higher incomes, more prestigious occupations, and higher levels of job satisfaction ... yet they have worse mental health.” She suggested that women bosses may face more “resistance” from male colleagues who judge them for being “unfeminine”.

“Years of social science research suggests that women in authority positions deal with negative negative stereotypes, prejudice, social isolation [and] resistance from subordinates, colleagues and superiors,” she said.

“Women in authority positions are viewed as lacking the assertiveness and confidence of strong leaders ... but when these women display such characteristics, they are judged negatively for being unfeminine. This contributes to chronic stress.” - Daily Mail

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