[Shift-work and housekeeping interference]

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Sociology of Work
• Gender Studies

Background:

• An increasing number of women in Italy are engaged in shift and night work across industrial and tertiary sectors.
• Law 903/1977 facilitated gender parity in employment, leading to a rise in women's night work agreements from 1980-1986.
• The textile, food, and mechanical industries have seen the most significant involvement of women in these work patterns.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the challenges faced by women engaged in shift and night work.
• To analyze the impact of a sudden transition to night work on a group of female food industry employees.
• To identify the consequences on personal, family, and working life.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative analysis of problems reported by women shiftworkers.
• Case study of a group of women transitioning from day to night shifts in the food industry.
• Comparison of absenteeism rates before and after the shift change.

Main Results:

• The case study group experienced a tripling of absenteeism (29.8 days/year) in the first year of night work.
• Shift and night work significantly disrupted the women's personal, family, and working lives.
• Common consequences included high absenteeism, psychosomatic complaints, worsened health status, sleep disturbances, and strained family relationships.

Conclusions:

• Shift and night work pose substantial negative impacts on women's well-being and family life.
• Women with greater family responsibilities, such as those married with children, are disproportionately affected.
• Workplace policies and support systems need to address the unique challenges faced by women in non-traditional work schedules.