Occupation or Home: Comparison Housewives and Working Women in the Variables of Stress, Depression and Perception of Quantitative, Mental and Emotional Home Demands

In recent years, the employment rate of women, particularly in the service sector has been increasing and at the same time, researchers interested on the psycho-social consequences of women’s employment especially on health. This study compared housewives and working women in terms of stress, depression and perception quantitative, mental and emotional home demands. For this purpose, a sample consists of 94 working women and 94 housewives among Isfahan women selected via convenience sampling and completed warttig et al. perceived stress questionnaire, Beck Depression II and peters et al. home demands questionnaire. Results revealed that working women perceived more depression and quantitative and mental home demands, but no differences between working women and housewives in terms of stress and emotional home demands. According to effort-recovery model, it seems that the pressures of work and family role, especially time pressure means that despite the positive role of work in working women, they were psychologically vulnerable because of the multiplicity of tasks. The results highlight the importance of culture in terms of the role of men in the house, especially in the case of families who identify working women.