Gender, work and health

Gender and sex play an important role in determining work experiences, as well as health experiences in the wake of a work-related injury or disease. (“Gender” typically refers to socially constructed roles, relationships, behaviours, relative power and other traits that societies ascribe to women, men and people of diverse gender identities. “Sex” is typically understood to refer to the biological and physiological characteristics that distinguish females from males.) IWH research seeks to understand these experiences—in particular the effects and outcomes of occupational exposures related to these experiences—in order to develop gender- and sex-sensitive policies and practices to improve the health of all working Canadians.

Featured

A man and a woman work together to push a trolley through a warehouse
At Work article

Review synthesizes differences between men, women in injury risks and outcomes

Men and women may be part of the labour force in similar proportions, but many industries and occupations are still dominated by one sex/gender or another. A new systematic review at IWH looks at differences between men and women in work exposures and injury/illness outcomes.
Published: May 20, 2022
A professional woman pushes an older person in a wheelchair in the outdoors
At Work article

Women’s work more likely than men’s to be disrupted due to caring for older relatives

Women are 73 per cent more likely than men to permanently leave a job due to eldercare responsibilities. They're also five times more likely to work part time to care for their older relatives, a new IWH study has found.
Published: April 2019
Journal article
Journal article
Journal article
Journal article

Dissecting the effect of workplace exposures on workers' rating of psychological health and safety

Published: American Journal of Industrial Medicine, March 2019
Journal article
Journal article

The power of a photograph to capture many truths in occupational health

Published: Annals of Work Exposures and Health, February 2019
The Conversation logo
IWH in the media

Women four times more likely to experience sexual assault at work

Violence-related injuries at work are on the rise across Canada and this is especially the case for women, according to two recent studies conducted at the not-for-profit Institute for Work and Health, writes IWH Senior Scientist Dr. Peter Smith.
Published: The Conversation, January 2019
Journal article
Journal article

Gender differences in injuries attributed to workplace violence in Ontario 2002-2015

Published: Occupational and Environmental Medicine, January 2019
Canadian HR Reporter logo
IWH in the media

Longer hours linked to diabetes risk in women: Study

Women who work more than 45 hours per week face a 63 per cent greater risk of developing diabetes than women who work fewer hours, but the incidence of diabetes tends to go down for men who work longer hours. Marcel Vander Wier reports on a study by the Institute for Work and Health (IWH) and Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES).
Published: Canadian HR Reporter, November 2018