It is undoubtedly natural to feel anxiety when we feel insecure in our jobs, especially during a crisis such as we’ve experienced this year.  Interestingly, however, new research from the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland suggests that men and women might experience this anxiety in different ways.

The researchers wanted to explore whether the undoubted gender disparities in the workforce, with women much more likely to work in temporary jobs with lower pay, transferred into differing rates of anxiety from that job insecurity.

The researchers analyzed data from the European Working Conditions Survey from 2005, 2010, and 2015, with the survey quizzing people on their perceived risk of losing their job in the next six months, and whether they had experienced anxiety in the last year.

The analysis revealed that despite the risk of job insecurity being higher for women, the sexes tend to respond to that insecurity in much the same way.  It’s a finding that the researchers attribute to moves towards gender egalitarianism in Europe.

Insecure work

While the response to insecure jobs is broadly similar, that should not prompt us to overlook the very real differences in job insecurity, the researchers argue.

“Public health consequences of job insecurity need to be seriously considered, given that recent changes and reforms in European labour markets, as well as the current COVID-19 crisis, are likely to result in a higher prevalence of workers, both males and females, feeling threatened by involuntary job loss,” they say.

Their analysis also found few differences in how we react to job insecurity between nations, which they believe suggests that the relationship between job insecurity and anxiety is broadly consistent around the world.

The researchers hope that their findings can help both policymakers and employers to address both job insecurity and the mental health challenges associated with it.