Work and Stress

Well-being issues for staff in the HE sector have become more pronounced and more recognised. In this chapter, we focus mainly on the experience of stress and how this relates to women working in higher education, including their working conditions and career progression and satisfaction. Our study collected quantitative and qualitative data relating to workload, stress and coping, support from line managers and colleagues and work-life conflict. The data analysis suggests that women are experiencing a significant amount of stress, which is indicated by them not confidently saying they felt on top of things or that they were unaffected by negative work-related emotions. Academic women reported more stress on average than professional services women, mainly due to their working hours and the work-life conflict associated with that. Those who had worked longer outside HE tended to report slightly less stress. Work conflict with home life and, to a lesser extent, home conflict with work life seemed to be the main routes through which stress was experienced. Support from line managers and colleagues played only a small part in stress reduction. Other factors related to well-being and stress—including work conditions, career experiences and workplace practices—are analysed and discussed.