A STUDY OF ABSENCE RATES IN MALE AND FEMALE EMPLOYEES WORKING IN OCCUPATIONS OF EQUAL STATUS

The objective of this study was to investigate the extent to which occ upational status and age influence absence rates in male and female em ployees. This involved collection of data for absences of one or more calendar days, including the length of absence and the location, age, occupational status and gender of the worker. This information was sup plied by personnel departments on standardized forms. The study took p lace in three occupational groups in two organizations with equal work status for men and women, located in England, Scotland and Northern I reland. In total, we studied 2561 workers (77.8% male, 22.2% female) i n employment during the three months between April and July 1992. More women than men took time off work in the study period. Female absence exceeded male absence for spells of absence in ratios between 1.3:1 a nd 1.5:1, and for days in ratios between 1.2:1 and 1.9:1; age standard ization removed the differences in spell rates (in all but one group) and total absence (days). Both men and women took fewer but longer spe lls of absence with increasing age. Men were more likely to take spell s lasting more than one day, but women took more multiple single-day s pells. Relative job status affected absence rates, with professional s taff taking less absence than support staff. In this workforce control led for occupation, significant differences in crude absence rates wer e observed between males and females. Age standardization explained th e difference in spell rates in most groups. This suggests that there i s little true difference in absence rates and highlights the importanc e of age standardization in such studies.