Female jobs and skills need to be revalued with recognition and re-evaluation: Quebec researcher
A study released by the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR) has concluded that workers who perform “female jobs” are more vulnerable to health and performance problems because of their particular work conditions. The writers of the report recommended recognition as the most effective way to mitigate those negative impacts.
Study author Annick Parent-Lamarche, professor at the UQTR Department of Human Resources, spoke with HRD about how HR professionals can help to revalue the skills that ‘female jobs’ are generally associated with. Skills such as empathy, patience and meticulousness have been devalued over years of male-industry dominated evaluation processes.
“The skills related to jobs mostly held by women were not acquired by learning, but [are] innate or natural, because when women first entered the labour market, they filled positions that were an extension of their traditional roles as mothers and housewives,” Parent-Lamarche said.
“So those factors were responsible for the devaluation of predominantly female jobs, and the so-called feminine skills they required.”
Stereotypes about female-associated skills also led to many women not entering certain professions or fields, the researchers reported; plus, unions tend to represent male-oriented industries that value physical strength.
The connection between gender pay inequity and poor health
Within the context of pay equity, the government of Quebec defined female jobs as jobs predominately held by women or associated with women due to stereotypes, as well as those held by more than 60 percent of all workers in an organization. (Jobs could also be classified as male or neutral, the government stated.) The health care sector is the largest employer of ‘female jobs’.
Systemic devaluation of female jobs and their associated skills resulted in a gender pay gap that still exists in Canada today, Parent-Lamarche said.
The latest numbers from Statistics Canada revealed that women in this country still only earn 90 cents for every dollar a man makes; on average a woman would need to work fifteen-and-a-half months to make the same as a male counterpart would make in a year.
“We were wondering if female jobs could be associated with poorer work conditions,” said Parent-Lamarche. The study, which analyzed data from a sample of almost 2,000 workers, found that typical female jobs were directly associated with less recognition, more skill use, and higher emotional demand.
These factors had negative consequences on the workers’ health and performance, with higher levels of psychological distress, insomnia, and intention to quit.
Practical implications for HR: evaluation and recognition
Systemic changes in society and organizations are the eventual goal of Parent-Lamarche’s work, but she recognizes that simply paying workers more may not be feasible or even possible for many employers.
Reassessing evaluation processes is key; the report stated that employers can take on this task by conducting “a deep review of job evaluation methods that allow reassessing neglected or undervalued jobs and skills.”
Recognition can also go a long way to improve the health and wellbeing of individuals working in female jobs, Parent-Lamarche said. Simple recognition programs such as client or colleague appreciation campaigns can be a first step towards shifting the mindset around these jobs.
She also pointed out that there is a clear connection between the health and well-being of those in female jobs and the health of a company.
“We showed in this study that this lack of recognition was associated with higher levels of intention to quit, so this has direct impact, because intention to quit is a good predictor of actual turnover – is the best predictor of actual turnover. Since it is associated also with higher psychological distress and lower psychological well-being, that for sure will lead to a decrease in performance and motivation and work engagement.”
