More psychosocial risks and lower quality of life: women’s work in higher education

Abstract

This study aims to compare male and female higher education teachers in relation to quantitative demands, emotional demands, work-family conflict, burnout symptoms, stress symptoms, and quality of life. The sample consisted of 761 teachers from public higher education institutions. Data were obtained using the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire II (COPSOQ II-Br) and WHOQOL-bref. The groups were compared using the chisquare association test and t-test using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (version 26.0) software. The results indicate that female teachers are at greater psychosocial risk for all aspects evaluated when compared to men. As a consequence, they also report more symptoms of burnout and stress, which impacts lower scores for quality of life, especially in the physical and psychological domains. Female teachers also reported more medical diagnoses and use of sleeping pills, while male teachers reported more frequent alcohol consumption and higher rates of overweight and obesity. The findings reinforce a persistent problem in the workplace: even in environments where there is wage equality, as is the case in public higher education institutions, the gender divide leaves marks that may explain the greater psychosocial overload and poorer quality of life of female teachers.