Sick building syndrome and gender bias: imperiling women's health

Sick building syndrome (SBS) is a contemporary health problem of serious magnitude. It is also an example of how gender bias can result in psychologizing (and therefore, ignoring), very real health threats to women. Characterized by symptoms which include mucous membrane irritation, eye irritation, headaches, feelings of lethargy and the inability to concentrate, sick building syndrome affects hundreds of thousands of office workers on a daily basis. The preponderance of victims of sick building syndrome are women. The threat to women's health posed by SBS is an under researched area, despite early research findings that women are disproportionately affected. This paper argues that gender bias has undermined the effectiveness of both research and intervention in addressing SBS, thereby perpetuating the threat to the health of female office workers. Implications for social workers are addressed.