Do you regret that your colleagues are mainly women? The reverse, namely being surrounded by men at work, would not necessarily be more pleasant. An open space swollen with testosterone could put women’s nerves in a ball, according to a new study from Indiana University in Bloomington, United States. The stress level of women in this situation was assessed by measuring the level of cortisol, the stress hormone, in women working in environments where they were under-represented (15% of the salaried workforce).
Verdict, women working with a lot of men exhibited cortisol levels that fluctuated more irregularly than normal. They therefore seemed more stressed than those who worked in a more balanced environment between the two sexes.
“Women who are in predominantly male professions display less healthy and more disturbed cortisol levels during the day,” said Bianca Manago, one of the researchers who collaborated on the study, at The Independent. Gold irregularities in cortisol are associated with a higher risk of health problems, the study continues, the results of which were presented at the 110th annual meeting of the American Sociological Society.
Today stress is an evil that eats away at the health of more and more employees. He affect 60% of workers in France. However, far from being harmless, this silent poison promotes a large number of pathologies: insomnia, irritability, fatigue, decreased libido, dermatosis, diabetes, cardiovascular disorders.
Stress and social isolation
This is not the first time that scientists indirectly invite women to be wary of too masculine professional circles. Previous work has suggested that predominantly male work environments may be anxiety for women who may suffer from social isolation, lack support from colleagues or worse still be subject to sexual harassment.
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