Gender difference in sickness absence: Do managers evaluate men and women differently with regard to the appropriateness of sickness absence?

Abstract

Aims: Women have much higher rates of sickness absence than men, but the causes of the difference are not well understood. This study examines whether managers have more lenient attitudes towards women’s than towards men’s absence, as this might contribute to higher rates of sickness absence among women. Differences between managers and other employees are also assessed. Methods: Vignettes were used to measure attitudes towards the legitimacy of sickness absence. The vignettes consisted of brief case descriptions of individuals considering asking their physicians for sick leave, with information about the medical condition (mainly taken from the descriptions in ICPC-2), occupation and gender. Respondents judged how appropriate sickness absence was in each case. Quota sampling was used, and the effective sample size was 899 managers and 1396 other employees, with each respondent evaluating either four or six vignettes. Generalised ordinal logistic regression was used. Results: The gender of the vignette person had no effect on the managers’ evaluations of the appropriateness of sickness absence. Irrespective of the gender of the vignette person, however, managers were generally more restrictive than non-managers. Conclusions: Different attitudes on the part of managers towards sickness absence in men and women do not seem to contribute to gender differences in sickness absence, but managers are generally more restrictive compared to non-managerial employees.

Employee perceptions of non-communicable diseases health risks, absenteeism and the role of organisational support in a South African pharmaceutical manufacturing company

“…Participants were concerned about absenteeism in the company, but there were mixed views of how this concern was influenced by gender. Our study findings show that males perceived females having higher absenteeism due to family responsibilities and childcare, which is similar to earlier studies comparing reasons for absenteeism by gender [ 33 , 34 ]. A study in India on absenteeism in pharmaceutical industrial workers revealed that 30% of sick leave was due to social responsibilities and family health concerns [ 35 ].…”

Differences in how women and men in a Swedish population-based sample think about sick leave: A cross-sectional vignette study

“…A review of population-based studies on gender differences in public beliefs and attitudes towards mental disorders found no clear pattern regarding the gender of the affected person [ 41 ]. Mastekaasa et al [ 21 ] did not find that vignette gender was associated with how Norwegian managers evaluated the appropriateness of sickness absence, irrespective of diagnosis. On the other hand, a report from the Swedish National Audit Office found that women with mild to moderate depression were sick listed 30% more than men despite similar functional limitations and decreased capacity to work [ 42 ].…”

“…Furthermore, women more often than men indicated a mental condition to the male vignettes, and the likelihood of recommending care-seeking was higher among women. A Norwegian study, however, found no differences between women and men in attitudes to sick leave depending on gender of the written vignettes [ 21 ]. The study included a large variety of occupations and health conditions divided into male and female vignettes.…”

Basic human values and sick leave: A study combining two‐wave survey data with longitudinal register data

“…Some studies additionally show that human values are related to health outcomes and health behavior (Beller, 2021;Nordfjaern & Brunborg, 2015). Work factors are also shown to be associated with sick leave patterns (Laaksonen et al, 2010;Markussen et al, 2011) and differences in attitudes toward sickness absence (Mastekaasa, Dale-Olsen, Hellevik, Løset & Østbakken, 2021), while some studies suggest that family composition is related to sick leave (Allebeck & Mastekaasa, 2004;Markussen et al, 2011;Mastekaasa, 2013). Human value priorities are further theorized to orient choices and investments in central life domains such as work and family (Schwartz, 2003), and they have been found to be associated with, for example, the likelihood of being self-employed (Morales, Holtschlag, Masuda & Marquina, 2019) and attitudes toward voluntary childlessness (Merz & Liefbroer, 2012).…”