Apart from the presence of estrogen hormones, there are other factors to take into consideration regarding employed married women and their susceptibility to contracting high blood pressure. One is their family history. Women who come from families with a history of cardiovascular diseases, high blood pressure and hypercholesterolemia, which is having 4 high concentrations of cholesterol in the bloodstream are more prone to having high blood pressure (James & Brown, 1997; Sorensen et al. , 1985). Another factor to take into consideration is the lifestyle lived by women.
Women who lack physical activities, consume food high in sodium, alcohol and caffeine as well as cigarette smoking are more likely to have high blood pressure than others since these can contribute to the increase of catecholamine hormones in the system which causes high blood pressure and high heart rate (James & Brown, 1997; Sorensen et al. , 1985). The ethnic background of a woman is another factor. Some ethnic cultures have been noted to be more susceptible to high blood pressure than others.
For example, the rate of occurrence of high blood pressure among African-American women is higher than the rate among Caucasian women (Lundberg, 1998; James & Brown, 1997). Perhaps the most important factor to take into consideration is the female’s ability to cope with responsibility. Today, more than 50% of married women are currently employed. The increase of married women choosing to work has been due to economic needs. However, discrimination and occupational segregation have caused many women to low-paying jobs which offer them little opportunities for growth.
They are also now exposed to physical and emotional hazards found in the work force (Coverman, 1989; Haw, 1982; Lennon & Rosenfield, 1992; Lundberg, 1998; Sorensen et al. , 1985). The situation faced by employed married women in the workforce can affect them in two different ways. On one hand, since they now need to handle long work hours, time pressured deadlines, discrimination and job segregation, this could cause them to feel dissatisfied with work and as such, would be prone to experience physical and emotional distress (Haw, 1982; Verbrugge, 1983). This could cause women to become impatient,
5 frustrated, anxious and overwhelmed with their responsibilities at work and their duties to their families. As such, these employed women are more susceptible in reporting more episodes when they feel stressed and would tend to have chronic health problems (Haw, 1982; James & Brown, 1997; Lennon & Rosenfield, 1992; Lundberg, 1998; Sorensen et al. , 1985; Verbrugge, 1983). On the other hand, because women are able to handle more roles in the household – mother, housekeeper and wife – as compared to men, they are able to cope with additional responsibilities brought about by working.
This is further heightened when women feel satisfied in their work. Experiences in work alleviate the impact of stress as well as enhance a woman’s sense of well-being by providing her with sources to gain self-esteem, social support and satisfaction. This leads to employed married women to have a greater acceptance of one self. Entering the work force also provides women with greater involvement in society and personal achievement.
As a result, employed married women are less likely to have high blood pressure as opposed to married women who are unemployed (Coverman, 1989; Haw, 1982; Lennon & Rosenfield, 1992; Sorensen et al. , 1985; Verbrugge, 1983). Conclusion With the growing changes in society today, more and more married women have begun to enter the corporate world. This has caused married women to handle more roles and responsibilities. Apart from handling their responsibilities as a homemaker, mother and wife, they now had to face long working hours, deadlines, and other responsibilities brought about by the corporate world.
6 This paper has presented that although recent studies have been conducted on the effect of stress brought about by work to the occurrence of high blood pressure among employed married women, there have been contradicting results. Some studies concluding that since employed married women are more adept to handling multiple roles, stress brought about by work does not have a direct affect on the occurrence of high blood pressure among employed married women.
Other studies have concluded that the chances for high blood pressure to occur among employed married women are higher than married women who are not employed. The conflicting results is due to a number of factors. One is the presence of estrogen hormone in female systems which have been discovered to lower the resistance of the blood vessel walls in reference to blood flow. Other factors such as ethnic background, lifestyle and the personality of the individual can also contribute to the occurrence of high blood pressure among employed married women.
The study of an individual’s health is complex since it there are a number of factors that have to be considered and not one can be isolated as a major cause for the onset of a disease such as high blood pressure. Through the understanding the lifestyle, biological makeup and psychological stability of an individual as well as cultural background, it may be possible to develop intervention measures and medication to minimize high blood pressure and its complication as the country’s leading cause of death. 7
References
Coverman, S. (June 1989).Role overload, role conflict, and stress: addressing consequences of multiple role demands. Social forces 67(4), 965-82. Haw, M. A. (June 1982). Women, work and stress: a review and agenda for the future. Journal of health and social behavior 23(2), 132-44. James, G. D. & Brown, D. E. (1997). The biological stress response and lifestyle: catecholamines and blood pressure. Annual review of anthropology 26, 313-35. Lundberg, U. (1998). Work and stress in women. In K. Orth-Gomer, M. Chesney & N. K. Wenger (Eds. ), Women, stress and heart disease (pp. 41-56). New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.