85% of the 59 million women in the U.S. labor force will be pregnant at some point in their working lives. Women are over-represented in working-class jobs associated with higher rates of job demands, yet little research has documented these demands in pregnant workers. We describe physical and psychosocial job demands of 46 African-American and 72 European-American pregnant workers in Kentucky who were interviewed during their third trimester using the Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ). These women mainly do office work, food preparation/service, or retail sales. Many describe working very hard at jobs that are hectic and require much physical effort. 55% deal with hostile clients; 32% deal with hostile co-workers, yet 81% have helpful supervisors. 17% report exposure to dangerous chemicals and 32% are exposed to air pollution. An average work week is 39 hours with 23% working over 40 hours/week. 33% stand 8 hours or more per day at work. While 85% are at least somewhat satisfied with their job, 38% have doubts about recommending their job to a friend. 49% express doubts about taking the job again. While there are no significant racial differences on most items, European-Americans are more likely to have supervisory responsibilities and to report that co-workers are less helpful, while African-Americans report less job security. These job demands put pregnant workers at risk for negative outcomes that may result in costs to industries, families, and the broader community. Documenting these demands has implications for policy changes that can improve the well-being of working mothers.
Learning Objectives: 1. List 5 job demands faced by a majority of pregnant working-class women. 2. Describe why it is important to document job demands of pregnant working-class women. 3. Identify aspects of job demands that differ between African-American and European-American working-class women.
Keywords: African American, Occupational Exposure
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: Research is funded by a grant from the CDC/National Institutes for Occupational Safety and Health, 5 R01 OH 03735-02