The stress of working in a male-dominated environment

'Token' women in male-centric workplaces experience higher levels of stress, new research finds. Photo: Getty

If you’re the ‘token women’ in your workplace, it could be taking a toll on your health.

Research has revealed that women in careers dominated by men, have higher levels of stress.

According to researchers form Indiana University in the US, daily stress hormone patters were higher in women who worked in jobs where at least 85 per cent of the workforce were men. A woman in this environment is referred to “occupational token” and includes careers such as engineers, landscapers, or working in construction.

The survey of over 440 women, researchers thought stressors including social isolation, sexual harassment, or low levels of support in the workplace, would impact patterns of stress hormone cortisol. They found “token” women had a less healthy cortisol profile than women in professions with a more even gender split. That is, when exposed to periods of stress their cortisol levels adopted a more irregular pattern.

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“Men in occupations with 85 per cent or more men do not evidence the same dysregulated cortisol profiles that we see in women in the same occupations,” study author Cate Taylor said.

Irregular cortisol levels have been shown to put you at risk of a number of health issues aside from stress, including weight gain, messing with blood glucose levels, sleep problems and heart disease.

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