Pilot study on the influence of stress caused by the need to combine work and family on occupational accidents in working women

The influx of a large number of women into the workforce involves the need for these women to combine family and work responsibilities. Multiple roles lead to work–family conflict. This study analyzes the influence of work–family conflict on the causes of minor occupational accidents suffered by working women. A survey was done on working women in the Madrid region, who had suffered a minor occupational accident in 2004. The main finding was that nearly half of the women with children considered that the stress and fatigue caused by trying to combine work and family played a part in the accident; 21% of the respondents whose accidents took place while traveling to or from work and 11% the respondents who suffered the accident in the workplace said that family reasons played a part. Additionally, 50% of the women suffered after-effects as a result of the accident; children had to change their routine in almost 1 in 4 cases; nearly a quarter of the respondents said their work situation had been temporarily modified. This point to a need for polices that encourage men and employers to contribute more to solve work–family conflicts.