Women who have power and influence to hire, pay and fire people are more likely to suffer from symptoms of depression compared with their counterparts who do not have such job authority. Men with powerful position are also less likely to exhibit symptoms of depression than men without such power.
Being a leader in the workplace along with the socioeconomic benefits that it offers is considered an advantage and an opportunity few people get to enjoy but findings of a new research reveal that job authority has its unwanted implications to women in terms of mental health.
For a new study to be published in the December issue of the Journal of Health and Social Behavior, Tetyana Pudrovska, from the Pennsylvania State University, State College, and Amelia Karraker, from the Iowa State University, interviewed over 2,800 middle-aged men and women between 1993 and 2004 about their job authority and how often they feel depressed such as when they feel sad and think that their life is a failure.
The researchers found that women without job authority had slightly increased depressive symptoms compared with men but among the participants whose position gives them the ability to hire, fire and influence pay, the female participants exhibit significantly more symptoms of depression than men. These women also have 9 percent increased likelihood of showing signs of depression than women who do not have such authority.
"Women with job authority exhibit more depressive symptoms than all men and women without job authority, whereas men in authority positions have the lowest levels of depression of any group," the researchers wrote. "Despite the sweeping changes in women's educational and occupational opportunities in recent decades, job authority may still constitute a psychological risk for women."
As to why powerful positions increase symptoms of depression in women but decreases in men, the researchers said that women face resistance when they are in a powerful position because it is not consistent with the norm. Influential women can also be subjected to stereotyping, which makes them vulnerable to being considered as either too bossy or too meek and incompetent when they fail to balance their assertiveness and femininity.
Men, on the other hand, appear to benefit from having a job authority as this is considered a natural position for them. Thus, they do not have to contend with stereotyping and resistance.
"Women in authority positions are viewed as lacking the assertiveness and confidence of strong leaders. But when these women display such characteristics, they are judged negatively for being unfeminine. This contributes to chronic stress," Pudrovska said.
