BIBB/BAuA 2012
Shift-work isn‘t just shift-work
21 baua: Facts
In this fact sheet, occupations dominated by women are those where the proportion of women working is over 60% percent. Typically male professions are characterized by a proportion of women of less than 40 percent. Used here were the occupations systematic „International Standard Classification of Occupations 2008“ (ISCO-2008). Almost one third of all shift-workers (male and female) work in typi- cal female occupations and nearly half in typical male occu- pations. Examples of typical female and male occupations are given in Table 1.
Environmental working conditions
The shift-workers in typical male occupations (e.g. metal workers) report more frequently that they are subject to unfavourable work environment conditions than the ones in typical female occupations (see Fig. 1).
Shift-work continues to be a frequently found working time model. It is associated with physically exhausting production work that is carried out primarily by men. This is one of the possible reasons that gender aspects are rarely integrated into the valid and applicable health and safety protection regulations. The findings of the BIBB/BauA 2012 Employment Survey make clear that different working conditions exist in typical male and female occupations - and that this is also the case with shift-workers.
Fig. 1 Work environment conditions frequently in typical female and typical male occupations (in %)
On account of the increasing flexibility of the labour market, atypical forms of employment such as shift-work and night- work, are to be observed today more frequently than in the nineties. Shift-work is still predominantly carried out by men and frequently takes place in industry and the trades (Beer- mann & Kretschmer, 2015).
Gender and the labour market
In Germany there is an unequal distribution of men and women employed in different areas of the economy and occupational groups. Accordingly researchers differentiate between typical occupations for men, typical occupations for women and those for both genders. In shift-work, too, the gender aspect appears to play a role. For this reason the data of the BIBB/BAuA 2012 Employment Survey were ana- lysed in respect of the working conditions frequently found for employed shift-workers (with and without night-work component) in typical occupations for women and typical occupations for men.
Female occupations Male occupations Health associate
professionals Metal, machinery and related trades workers Sales workers Stationary plant and
machine operators Personal care workers
(e. g. nursing assistants, Home-based personal care workers)
Drivers and mobile plant operators
Cleaners and helpers Science and egineering
associate professionals 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Typical male occupations Typical female occupations Poor lighting
conditions Handling micoorganisms
Hazardous substances Dust, smoke, gases,
vapours Cold, hot, wet or moist conditions, draughts
Protective clothing or safety equipment Noisy conditions Oil, fat, dirt and
filth
20 13 3
48
19 27
6 34
20 37
32 63
16 66
16 40
Table 1 Typical female occupations and typical male occupations (according ISCO-2008) with shift-work
baua: Facts Shift-work isn‘t just shift-work 2
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Imprint | Publisher: Bundesanstalt für Arbeitsschutz und Arbeitsmedizin (BAuA), Friedrich-Henkel-Weg 1 – 25, 44149 Dortmund, Phone: +49 231 9071-2071, Email: info-zentrum@baua.bund.de, Internet: www.baua.de |
Author: Dr. V. Kretschmer, Design: R. Grahl, Graphics: Dr. V. Kretschmer | doi:10.21934/baua:facts20170604 | June 2017
This includes the frequently occurring working conditions of „Noisy conditions“ (66% vs. 16%), „Wearing protecti- ve clothing/ safety equipment“ (63% vs. 32%) or „Dust, smoke, gases, vapours“ (34% vs. 6%). In typical fema- le occupations (e.g. in the health sector) only “handling microorganisms” (48% vs. 3%) is mentioned more often than in the typical male occupations.
Physical working conditions
Shift-workers in typical female occupations report more frequently that they are confronted with work conditions that are unfavourable in a physical sense. They report more often having to work while standing (89 % vs. 81 %), with their hands (great dexterity, fast sequences of move- ment or great strength) (64 % vs. 57 %), in forced pos- tures (28 % vs. 16 %) and having to lift and carry heavy loads (57 % vs. 24 %) than people working in typical male occupations (see Fig. 2).
Psychological demands
In shift-work the following work conditions - amongst others - were frequently reported in the typical female oc- cupations: „emotionally stressful situations“ (30 % vs.
8 %), „disruptions and interruptions during work“ (56 % vs. 35 %) or „necessity to work very quickly“ (54 % vs.
42 %) (see Fig. 3). With the typical male occupations, the psychological demands „carrying out the work in prescri- bed details“ (51 % vs. 37 %), „prescribed quantities, per- formance or time“ (50 % vs. 35 %) and „one and the same process is repeated in every detail“ (68 % vs. 58 %) are more frequent.
Conclusion
The results make clear that - contrary to the classical picture of shift-work - persons working in typical female occupations frequently also have to carry out physically demanding jobs or work under unfavourable work-envi- ronment conditions. They also show that mental stress such as monotonous tasks, multitasking or severe pres
Further information
1 B. Beermann & V. Kretschmer (2015). Schicht- arbeit und Betriebliche Gesundheitsförderung [Shift-work and worksite health promotion]. In:
Fehlzeiten-Report 2015 (pp. 205-214).
2 Factsheet 15. Nightwork in the spotlight – frequent stress at work remains a problem.
www.baua.de/DE/Angebote/Publikati- onen/Fakten/BIBB-BAuA-15e.pdf ?__
blob=publicationFile&v=2
sure in respect of deadlines and performance are also not so rare in typical male occupations.
Consideration and interpretation of the work requirements as well as consideration of the development and implemen- tation of suitable measures in the area of accidents at work prevention (e.g. risk assessment) lead to the recommenda- tion that the specific work conditions and risks present in typical female and typical male occupations should be taken into account. Above all in occupations dominated by one or the other gender it is recommended that the gender perspec- tive should be integrated into the health and safety protection areas so that the particular minority groups (i.e. men in typi- cal female occupations and women in typical male occupa- tions) are considered and not disadvantaged.
Fig. 3 Frequently reported mental demands in typical female and typical male occupations (in %)
56 35
56 67 58 68 8
30 Emotionally
stressful situations
20 Having to go to the li-
mits of your capability
59 Severe pressure in 50
respect of time and performance
51 37 Carrying out the work
in prescribed details
54 42 Necessity to work
very quickly Disruptions and inter- ruptions during work
11 35
Small mistakes – serious financial losses
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 Having to work on
different tasks at the same time Continuously repeating work processes
29
35 Prescribed quantities,
performance or time 50
Typical male occupations Typical female occupations
Fig. 2 Physically demanding working conditions reported frequent- ly by shift-workers in typical female occupations and in typical male occupations (in %)
Working in forced postures
Work while standing Work with the hands Lifting and carrying
of heavy loads 16
28 24
5757 64
81 89 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
Typical male occupations Typical female occupations
