The Impact of Gendered Organizations on Worker Well-Being

Abstract

The ways in which paid work influences mental health and well-being is a topic of great interest to researchers focused on the social determinants of health. A primary focus in the literature has included the various conditions of work that can have both positive or negative effects on the mental health and well-being of workers. However, this perspective tends to disassociate the worker from the larger organizational context in which they are embedded. My dissertation addresses this limitation by examining the ways in which the organization and the workplace intersect to influence worker mental health and well-being through a gendered lens. Using data from the 2005 American Work Stress and Health survey, results from my research suggest that the gendered nature of organizations may matter more for worker mental health and well-being than work conditions or individual-level gender. Findings also suggest that this is dependent on both the occupation and workplace, and that consequences of the gendered organization can manifest in day-to-day interactions between workers.