Back to work? Gendered experiences of rehabilitation

Gendered experiences of rehabilitation were studied in a strategic sample o f young people with work-related disorders. Thematic interviews were conduc ted with seven women and four men, and analysed from a gender perspective u sing grounded theory. In comparison with women, men were more likely to rec eive specific diagnoses, to demand actions, and to strive for full-time wag ed work. Women experienced more often than men that doctors distrusted them , and that social insurance officers made decisions for them. The outcome o f rehabilitation was better for men, whether they adapted to the offend mea sures or not. Gendered structures in the rehabilitation system, the constru ction of gender in the meeting between the client and the doctor/social sec urity officer, as well as the division of domestic duties within marriage, strongly influenced the outcome of the rehabilitation process in favour of men.