Gender, work and health
Gender and sex play an important role in determining work experiences, as well as health experiences in the wake of a work-related injury or disease. (“Gender” typically refers to socially constructed roles, relationships, behaviours, relative power and other traits that societies ascribe to women, men and people of diverse gender identities. “Sex” is typically understood to refer to the biological and physiological characteristics that distinguish females from males.) IWH research seeks to understand these experiences—in particular the effects and outcomes of occupational exposures related to these experiences—in order to develop gender- and sex-sensitive policies and practices to improve the health of all working Canadians.
Featured

At Work article
Workplace violence against women rising, driven by growing rates in education sector
Men working in health care were once the group most at risk of workplace violence. These day, it's women working in education who face the highest risks of being assaulted on the job.
Published: April 12, 2019

At Work article
Women’s work more likely than men’s to be disrupted due to caring for older relatives
Women are 73 per cent more likely than men to permanently leave a job due to eldercare responsibilities. They're also five times more likely to work part time to care for their older relatives, a new IWH study has found.
Published: April 11, 2019
Journal article
Journal article
Disability and sex/gender intersections in unmet workplace support needs: findings from a large Canadian survey of workers
Published: American Journal of Industrial Medicine, November 2020
Journal article
Journal article
Age differences in work-disability duration across Canada: examining variations by follow-up time and context
Published: Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation, September 2020
Journal article
Journal article
Inequalities in extending working lives beyond age 60 in Canada, Denmark, Sweden and England: by gender, level of education and health
Published: PLoS ONE, August 2020
Journal article
Journal article
Examining the relationship between the demand-control model and incident myocardial infarction and congestive heart failure in a representative sample of the employed women and men in Ontario, Canada, over a 15-year period
Published: Canadian Journal of Public Health, August 2020
Journal article
Journal article
Male/female differences in the impact of caring for elderly relatives on labor market attachment and hours of work: 1997-2015
Published: The Journals of Gerontology. Series B, Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, February 2020
Journal article
Journal article
Gender differences in surgery for work-related musculoskeletal injury: a population-based cohort study
Published: Healthcare Policy, February 2020
Journal article
Journal article
Changes in work factors and concurrent changes in leisure time physical activity: a 12-year longitudinal analysis
Published: Occupational and Environmental Medicine, February 2020
Journal article
Journal article
Do differences in work disability duration between men and women vary by province in Canada?
Published: Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation, September 2019

Research Highlights
Gender differences in the impact of eldercare on work
Women are much more likely than men to stop working, to work part time and to temporarily take time off work in order to care for an older relative. These differences are seen even after taking into account factors such as marital status, having children, hours of work, pay level, job tenure, and status as main wage earner in the household.
Published: June 2019

At Work article
Workplace violence against women rising, driven by growing rates in education sector
Men working in health care were once the group most at risk of workplace violence. These day, it's women working in education who face the highest risks of being assaulted on the job.
Published: April 2019