Women's work roles and their impact on health, well-being, and career: Comparisons between the United States, Sweden, and the Netherlands

As women have become more assimilated into the workforce over recent decade s, they have realized considerable changes in their work roles which may co ntribute to health problems and other negative outcomes such as marital str ain and diminished job status. The purpose of this review was threefold: (I ) to synthesize data on the distribution of women's work efforts in the are as of paid employment, household chores, and childcare; (2) to outline rese arch which addresses the impact of women's workload on their well-being and careers; and (3) to make international and gender comparisons regarding wo men's work responsibilities. Our findings showed that women from each of th e three countries examined-the United States, Sweden, and The Netherlands-c ontribute more effort to household chores and childcare and less to the wor kplace than men do. As a result, their total workloads appear to be somewha t greater and more diffusely distributed than those of men. Heavy workloads may adversely affect women's health, especially in the presence of certain role characteristics (e.g., having a clerical, managerial, professional, o r executive position, or caring for young children). Heavy work responsibil ities may also undermine marital happiness, particularly if there is percei ved inequity in the way partners share household work. Finally, women's tot al work responsibilities often impact their careers due to compensatory red uctions in work commitment and job status. These observations point to the need for further research on women's workload and work roles, on the relati onship of work to well-being, and on methods of preventing or alleviating a dverse effects on overburdened workers.