Sexism Affects Women's Mental Health? Now Who Told You That?

Now this won't come as a surprise to too many of us.  But did you know that workplace sexism affects women's mental health and job satisfaction, according to newswise.com?

In a study of 190 women from a large Australian trade union that represented mainly male-dominated jobs, "organizational sexism and interpersonal sexism were associated with a poorer sense of belonging in the industry, which was associated with poorer mental health," the web site reports. "A poorer sense of belonging also explained the negative effect of organizational sexism on job satisfaction."
Workplace sexism can reduce a sense of belonging "because it represents a form of bullying, rejection, and ostracism by men against their female co-workers," newswise adds. This reduced sense of belonging then can have a negative effect on women's mental health and job satisfaction due to its association with feelings of loneliness and alienation.
"Strategies that integrate women more thoroughly into male-dominated industries and give them a better sense of belonging may help to increase their mental health and job satisfaction" says corresponding author Associated Professor Mark Rubin, of The University of Newcastle, Australia. "However, we also need better strategies to reduce sexism in the workplace if we are to tackle this problem at its root."
But you don't have to be in a male-dominated industry to be affected by sexism, because, sadly, it exists in just about every business, even after the "Me, Too" movement.  I can't count on one hand all the times I've been inappropriately spoken to, or kidded, or even touched.  And even though I'm going back many years, it still exists today.  Men, and women, are just a little more careful -- and wiser about covering it up.  
So how do we fix this?  I guess, by always talking up, even if you face the possibility of some kind of punishment.  I was told my job had disappeared and I was banished to the Midwest if I wanted to continue working for the company after I rejected the moves of a senior vp.  I didn't have to tell anyone because he told my boss, and my boss, a sympathetic but powerless sort, explained it all to me as he was transferring me.  
I suppose it all worked out in the end because I only lasted six months and when I returned to home base, got the job of my dreams.  But it was a good lesson in how to survive the sad, unequal terms of power that sometimes exist in business.



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