Men Outperform Women in the Workplace: Mental State to Blame

Industrialized nations across the world that feature workplace equality among men and women were subjected to an international study conducted by Tel Aviv University and the University of Haifa in Israel.

Despite the gender equality, the results of the study found that women lagged behind men in these workplaces because of their mental state. The findings revealed that women tended to be more stressed, didn't see as many opportunities for advancement as men did, and showed a lack of flexibility and job security.

 The researchers from the Israeli universities collected data from the International Social Survey Program from 2005 and analyzed responses about work life from 8,500 men and 9,000 women in 27 industrialized countries. The study was published in last month's issue of the journal Work, Employment, and Society.

One of the questions on the surveys asked how stressful and exhausting one's job was, in which women reported at a rate of 5% higher than men. Men's income and opportunities for employment were rated 8% higher than women's as well. Independence in the workplace is certainly a determinant of stress and greater income opportunities, and women ranked 15% lower than men in terms of their autonomy at their job. There were scales of 1-5 and 1-3 to gauge the answers of the men and women participants.

However, these findings can be a bit outdated, but some still might be accurate. This past December, the Pew Research Center published their "10 Findings about Women in the Workplace" that was conducted through surveys and research. Three significant findings make the Tel Aviv University and University of Haifa study look bizarre.

The Pew Center's number one finding was that today's young women are starting their careers better educated than their male counterparts, with 38% of 25 to 32-year-old women having a four year degree compared to 31% of men. Secondly, each new group of young women entering the workforce since 1980 has started out at a higher average hourly wage relative to men. Lastly, 61% of women aged 18-32 have been reported saying that they would like to be a boss or manager someday.

The Pew Center reveals both positive and negative aspects of women in the workforce or of women's thought about the workforce. Only as time progresses will we be able to find out more accurate information.

Visit this Live Science article as well as the Pew Research Center website to see more.