A recent study ventures into an area that has received scant attention – the health and wellbeing of older women in the British workforce. Extrapolating the evidence from scores of investigations into general health and gender issues in the workplace, it concludes that women can benefit from delaying retirement but the price could include musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). The term describes an array of painful conditions that lurk in workplaces, particularly when insufficient attention has been paid to the ergonomic design of work, equipment and workstations.

“Older Women, Work and Health – Reviewing the Evidence,” by University of Bristol researchers Lesley Doyal and Sarah Payne, was commissioned by Help the Aged and The Age and Employment Network (TAEN), two United Kingdom agencies. The paper was published by The European Agency for Health and Safety at Work.

Doyal and Payne point out that there are one and a half million female workers aged 45–64 and 113,000 over the age of 65, yet little is known about the quality of their working lives or their health. They attribute the paucity of data to age and gender discrimination, and cite 1998 research showing middle-aged and older women continue to be one of the least visible groups in society.

According to the authors, the information about this “least visible” sector of the workforce could be a handicap to the British government as it strives to implement a new policy. Worried about a “dependency crisis” – a troublesome result of the rising cost of health care and pensions, combined with the aging of the population – the government is encouraging Britons to delay retirement. It wants to add one million older people to the workforce.

The benefits of work outside the home for aging women are well documented, Doyal and Payne say, as it contributes to financial self-sufficiency, self-esteem and mental health. The down side is the potential for harm, especially for women in lower-status and more physically-demanding jobs.

At all stages of their working lives, the authors say, women are more likely than men to work part-time. Concentrated in certain areas of employment, they are more likely to be in low-status jobs and earn less than men. These factors influence the well-being of women workers, the authors note, particularly in later years. They cite studies showing poorly paid work that is demanding yet offers little control is the most stressful.

The Bristol study cites research from a number of countries showing women are more likely than men to have MSDs, and that the incidence and sometimes the severity increase with age. Repetitive strain injury, upper-limb disorders, back pain and carpal tunnel syndrome are the most common afflictions. The authors note the causes for this are complex but can reflect that the ‘light work’ women are given is often physically demanding: they have to move heavy loads, adopt awkward working postures and expend high levels of static muscular effort. Women are also more likely than men to be engaged in work that requires repetitive tasks, while work stations may not be designed to meet their needs. Alongside these physical hazards in the workplace women may also face physical risks at home, such as lifting heavy children or moving adult dependants. Some research singles out the potential for cumulative harm from a lifetime of these risk factors.

Other studies suggest women are less likely than men to suffer injury as a result of a single incident but their risk increases with age.

Doyal and Payne predict that any attempt to promote the health of older women within the labor force will come up against discrimination against females and older workers, but observe that the pattern is changing in response to the economic need to keep people working longer.

Source: The European Agency for Health and Safety at Work.