Health-Promoting Aspects of a Paid Job: Findings in a Qualitative Interview Study With Elderly Women in Sweden

Abstract

This article is one aspect of a larger, qualitative interview study and deals with health-promoting aspects of gainful employment, as experienced by a group of elderly Swedish women. Through these interviews we demonstrate the central importance of outside employment for many of the women, although they belonged to a generation where outside work conflicted with societal norms. We will illustrate a wide variety of ways in which gainful employment can contribute to women's well-being and, ultimately, their health.

Humour, beauty, and culture as personal health resources: Experiences of elderly Swedish women

“…A sense of humour was pointed out as being part of these women's personality, and they sought ways to use it. They often joked and created settings for jokes in women-dominated situations, such as their workplaces [10]. This finding goes against the general assumption, saying that men create humour while women just enjoy it [12], and agrees with other findings in health research on women [29].…”

Living on the Edge of Being Overstretched—A Norwegian Qualitative Study of Employed Pregnant Women

“…Combining roles has been reported to drain one's energy due to difficulties meeting the given role demands and may result in a lower level of life satisfaction and poorer physical health (Elgar & Chester, 2007). Successfully balancing multiple roles also has been found to increase women's well-being (Campione, 2008;Forssén & Carlstedt, 2007), provide important psychological input, heighten selfesteem, and enhance social relationships (Barnett, 1999). Research on pregnancy in relation to work is rare, however, and such studies are mainly British.…”

The importance of having a paid job. Gendered experiences of health and ill-health in daily life among middle-aged women and men

“…Unemployment, when these latent functions are lacking, can thus result in ill-health. Some of these latent functions connected to paid work were expressed in a qualitative study of elderly women in Sweden [ 11 ]. The study showed the positive impact of work for health, as paid work gave a meaning to the women, a room of their own as well as self-esteem and social support.…”

“…We have identified only a few qualitative studies about social determinants of health, based on gender theories. One [of them, based on feminist theory, analysed interviews among 20 elderly Swedish women and found that paid work was experienced as health-promoting through giving meaning, self-esteem, social relations, a room of one’s own, a basis for self-determination and independence (from men), freedom from constant availability for the needs of their families, and it strengthened them in unequal, or even abusive, partner relationships [ 11 ]. Another theoretically driven paper showed that stereotypical gender practices in housework can increase experiences of stress among women and men.…”