Work and depression among women in the Federal Republic of Germany

A study was carried out to test the association between workplace stress and depression among working women and men in the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG). The data are from the 1984 German national health survey. The sample (N = 795) was composed of 319 working women and 476 working men. The hypothesis tested was that depression is related to high job demands and low job decision latitude. Correlation and multiple regression analyses supported the hypothesis for both women and men. However, the mean level of decision latitude was lower for women than men, as was the level of job demands. The mean depression score was higher for women, and correlations between depression and high job demands/low decision latitude were stronger for women than men. It was concluded that low decision latitude combined with high job demands, a condition experienced frequently by working women, contributes to depression among working women in the FRG. Study findings shed light on the health of employed women in the FRG and may also have implications for working women in other Western industrialized countries.