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University of Texas at Austin

Depression hits women in top jobs harder than men, study says

Jessica Durando
USA TODAY
Women in the workforce experience more symptoms  of depression as they gain job authority, while men generally do not.

Depression symptoms among women increase as they climb the workplace ladder, whereas, for men they generally decrease, according to a new study from University of Texas at Austin.

"Our study certainly emphasizes broader societal factors and cultural and social forces, including tenacious unfavorable stereotypes, that make leadership excessively stressful for women compared to men," said co-author and sociologist Tetyana Pudrovska.

The study, "Gender, Job Authority, and Depression," is published in the December issue of the Journal of Health and Social Behavior and co-written by Pudrovska and Amelia Karraker, an assistant professor at Iowa State University.

It uses 1954-2004 data from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study to explore the importance of job authority in 1993 (at 54) on the change in depressive symptoms between 1993 and 2004 (age 65) among white men and women.

"Broader social factors and cultural beliefs related to gender and status affect interactions in the workplace and make job authority more stressful for women compared to men. In the current cultural climate, women's confidence and authority are viewed less favorably than men's. Women in authority positions deal with negative social interactions, negative stereotypes and prejudice, and resistance from subordinates, colleagues, and superiors," Pudrovska said via e-mail.

Among the findings she points out:

•Women in authority positions are evaluated more stringently compared to women without job authority and male co-workers.

•Higher-status women are evaluated more strictly than men in similar positions and often face gender discrimination and harassment.

She says, "This contributes to chronic stress that can undermine or even reverse the health benefits of job authority."

Men in positions of authority generally have fewer stressors and stereotypes to overcome.

"Men's authority positions are consistent with the prevailing cultural status beliefs, and male leadership is accepted as normative and legitimate. This legitimation increases men's power as leaders and enhances psychological rewards of job authority for men," Pudrovska adds.

Men are also more likely to decide when to start and end work and are less frequently monitored by their supervisors than women, the study says.

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