PERCEIVED STRESS AMONG WORKING AND

NON WORKING WOMEN

A
Project Report submitted to the Department of Psychology, Bhadrak Autonomous
College, Bhadrak in partial fulfillment of the Requirements for 6 th Semester Examination

By

MADHUSMITA MISHRA
College roll no: BA17-022
Exam Roll No. 1517B002
Registration no: 14191/17

Supervisor
Dr. Akshaya Kumar Das, Ph.D(Utkal)
Assistant Professor

Department of Psychology
Bhadrak Autonomous College,
Bhadrak – 756100
2020
Dr. Amit Kumar Nayak
Assistant professor,
Department Of Psychology
Bhadrak Autonomous College
Bhadrak – 756100

CERTIFICATE

This to certify that this Project Report entitled “PERCIVED STRESS AMONG
WORKING AND NONWORKING WOMEN” Prepared by MADHUSMITA MISHRA a +3
Arts(Psychology Hons.) 3rd year student of this department, has been written under my guidance
and supervision.

Place -Bhadrak (Dr. Amit Kumar Nayak)

Date – 26.06.2020 Asst. Professor.
Dept. of Psychology.
Bhadrak Autonomous
College, Bhadrak.

2
 DECLARATION

I, do hereby declare that the project report entitled “PERCIVED STRESS AMONG
WORKING AND NONWORKING WOMEN” which is submitted by me for the partial fulfilment
of the requirement of 6th semester examination is original and it has not been submitted previously
to any university/institution for any other degree or diploma or for publication.

Place – Bhadrak (Madhusmita Mishra)

Date - 26.06.2020 College roll no: BA17-022
Exam roll no: 1517B002
Registration no: 14191/17
 ABSTRACT

The present study is an attempt to find out the stress level among working and non working
women. The sample of the present study comprised 30 samples , working women (15) and non
working (15) of Bhadrak Autonomous college,Bhadrak. All samples were administered the
perceived stress scale questionnaire to measure their stress level. The result revealed that non
working women reported More stress than working women

Key words

Stress, working women and non working women

4
 Acknowledgement

It gives me a great pleasure to express my gratitude to our sir my guide my supervisor Dr.
Amit Kumar Nayak for his guidance support and encouragement through the duration of project. I
am also grateful to his for providing me with plenty of materials, which I needed for this, in a
remarkably short time.
I am extremely obliged to Dr. Dhiren Nayak. head of the department of
psychology. Bhadrak autonomous college, Bhadrak for constant guidance and also thankful to my
esteemed teacher Dr. Akshaya Ku. Das for his genuine and much needed moral supports.
Lastly I am thankful to all my Friends and my all support for their unconditional
support, cooperation and active participation during the project.

Place: Bhadrak

Date: 26.06.2020 (Madhusmita Mishra)

 CONTENTS

List of table

List of figure

Chapter I Introduction

Chapter II Review of Literature

Chapter III Method

3.1 Sample

3.2 Instrument

Chapter IV Analysis and result

Chapter V Summery and conclusion Chapter

VI Suggestion for further research

Chapter VII Reference

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 CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1
 Stress is a conscious or unconscious psychological feeling or physical condition

resulting from physical or mental 'positive or negative pressure' that overwhelms adaptive

capacities. It is a psychological process initiated by events that threaten, harm or challenge

an organism or that exceed available coping resources and it is characterized by

psychological responses that are directed towards adaptation. Stress is wear and tear on

the body in response to stressful agents. Hans Selye called such agents stressors and said

they could be physical, physiological, psychological or sociocultural. And stress is not an

anxiety disorder and it is not a normative concept.

stress is a feeling of strain and pressure. [1] Stress is a type of psychological

pain. Small amounts of stress may be desired, beneficial, and even healthy. Positive stress

helps improve athletic performance. It also plays a factor in motivation, adaptation, and

reaction to the environment. Excessive amounts of stress, however, may lead to bodily

harm. Stress can increase the risk of strokes, heart attacks, ulcers, and mental illnesses such

as depression. [2]

Stress can be external and related to the environment,[3] but may also be caused by

internal perceptions that cause an individual to experience anxiety or other negative

emotions surrounding a situation, such as pressure, discomfort, etc., which they then

deem stressful.

Humans experience stress, or perceive things as threatening, when they do not

believe that their resources for coping with obstacles (stimuli, people, situations, etc) are

enough for what the circumstances demand When people think the demands being placed

on them exceed their ability to cope, they then perceive stress. Stress produces numerous

physical and mental symptoms which vary according to each individual's situational

factors. These can include physical health decline as well as depression.

2
 The process of stress management is named as one of the keys to a happy and

successful life in modern society.[1] Although life provides numerous demands that can

prove difficult to handle, stress management provides a number of ways to manage

anxiety and maintain overall well-being.

Despite stress often being thought of as a subjective experience, levels of stress are

readily measurable, using various physiological tests, similar to those used in polygraph

Many practical stress management techniques are available, some for use by health

professionals and others, for self-help, which may help an individual reduce their levels of

stress, provide positive feelings of control over one's life and promote general well-being.

Other stress reducing techniques involve adding a daily exercise routine, finding a hobby,

writing your thoughts, feelings, and moods down and also speaking with a trusted one

about what is bothering you. It is very important to keep in mind that not all techniques

are going to work the same for everyone, that is why trying different stress managing

techniques is crucial in order to find what techniques work best for you. An example of

this would be, two people on a roller coaster one can be screaming grabbing on to the bar

while the other could be laughing while their hands are up in the air (Nisson). This is a

perfect example of how stress effects everyone differently that is why they might need a

different treatment. These techniques do not require doctors approval but seeing if a

doctors technique works better for you is also very important^

Evaluating the effectiveness of various stress management techniques can be difficult, as

limited research currently exists. Consequently, the amount and quality of evidence for the

various techniques varies widely. Some are accepted as effective treatments for use in

psychotherapy, while others with less evidence favoring them are considered alternative

therapies. Many professional organizations exist to promote and provide training in

conventional or alternative therapies.

3
 There are several models of stress management, each with distinctive explanations

of mechanisms for controlling stress. Much more research is necessary to provide a better

understanding of which mechanisms actually operate and are effective in practice.

In the modern world, the 'fight or flight' mode can still help us survive dangerous

situations, such as reacting swiftly to a person running in front of our car by slamming on

the brakes. The challenge is when our body goes into a state of stress in inappropriate

situations. When blood flow is going only to the most important muscles needed to fight or

flee, brain function is minimised. This can lead to an inability to 'think straight' ; a state that

is a great hindrance in both our work and home loves. If we are kept in a state of stress for

long periods, it can be detrimental to our health.

flight response: what happens in the body

When you feel threatened, your nervous system responds by releasing a flood of

stress hormones, including adrenaline and Cortisol, which rouse the body for emergency

action. Your heart pounds faster, muscles tighten, blood pressure rises, breath quickens,,

and your senses become sharper. These physical changes increase your strength and

stamina, speed up your reaction time, and enhance your focus — preparing you to either

fight or flee from the danger at.

Work-Related Stress
Many people are motivated by the challenges encountered within their work
environment. However, when pressure due to work demands, and other so-called
'stressors', becomes excessive and prolonged in relation to the perceived ability to cope this
can lead to the experience of stress. The concept of stress is often confused with challenge;
sometimes leading people to refer to 'good' and 'bad' stress. However, these concepts are
not the same. Experiencing challenges in our work can energise us psychologically and
physically, and encourage us to learn new skills. Feeling challenged by one's work is an
important ingredient in developing and sustaining a psychologically healthy work
environment. However, excessive and prolonged pressure and demands that exceed the

10
worker's perceived resources, capabilities and skills to cope should not be understood as a
'healthy pressure' or 'good stress', but rather as the defining components of work-related
stress. 4
Contemporary theories of stress have been used to inform the definition of work-related

stress. There is a growing consensus around the definition of stress as a negative

psychological state with cognitive and emotional components, and its effect on the health of

both the individual and the organisation. That is, stress is defined by a dynamic interaction

between the individual and their environment, and is often inferred by the existence of a

problematic person-environment fit and the emotional reactions which underpin those

interactions^]. Central to this approach is the role that environmental factors, particularly the

role of psychosocial and organisational factors, play in work stress. The following section

seeks to provide the reader with a concise overview of the leading contemporary theories of

stress.

As the number of employed women has increased over the past several decades,

women are at par with their male counterparts. Unlike their counterparts they have to play

the role of a homemaker also. The dual role of the working women are leading to stress in

their lives. Women are still considered responsible for the majority of household labor and

management, child care and elder care and employed women work to the equivalent of two

full time jobs. In addition, women who do not get their spouse support in household

management are also experiences high level of stress.

A substantial percentage of Americans work very long hours. By one estimate,

more than 26% of men and more

Than 11 % of women worked 50 hours or more per week (outside of the home) in 2000. These

figures represent a considerable increase over the previous three decadese-especially for

women According to the department of labor, there has been an upward trend in hours

worked among employed women, an increase in work weeks of greater than forty hours by

men and a considerable increase in combined working hours among working couples,

particularly couples with young children.

5
Power and Stress

Work & Stress is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal covering

occupational health psychology and workplace health and safety. It is published by Taylor &

Francis in association with the European Academy of Occupational Health Psychology.

However less powerful employees are more likely to experience stress than employees with

more power.

Economic s and Stress

Economic stress is the feeling of stress due to the current state of one's personal

finances and/or due to fear about the economy. Although some stress can be healthy, in the

way that it can give yc -J the energy and initiative to take needed actions or encourages you

to challenge yourself, economic stress can have harmful impacts, especially for college

students.

Research demonstrates that economic stress can be triggered by a number of factors:

experiences of a job loss or home

major changes to your family's income and budget

the feeling of not having enough financial resources comparer! to others

balancing the need to work while in college

Specifically for Brown students, the feeling of having fewer financial resources than other

Brown students can cause a significant amount of financial stress. The perception that "all

Brown students are wealthy" can create stress and isolation for those who do not come from

affluent backgrounds. While this perception might not be accurate, it can sometimes be

difficult to find students with the same financial concerns that you have.

If you believe you are suffering from economic stress, you are not alone.

12

6
Social interactions and stress
Social interaction is the way people talk and act with each other and various

structures in society. It may include interactions such as a team, family or bureaucracy that is

formed out of the need to create order within the interaction itself. It may also include

interaction of social work.

Social stress is stress that stems from one's relationships with others and from the social

environment in general. Based on the appraisal theory of emotion, stress arises when a

person evaluates a situation as personally relevant and perceives that s/he does not have the

resources to cope or handle the specific situational][clarification needed] An event which

exceeds the ability to cope does not necessarily have to occur in order for one to experience

stress, as the threat of such an event occurring can be sufficient.

There are three main categories of social stressors. 12] Life events are defined as abrupt,

severe life changes that require an individual to adapt quickly (ex. sexual assault, sudden

injury).[3] Chronic strains are defined as persistent events which require an individual to

make adaptations over an extended period of time (ex. divorce, unemployment).[3] Daily

hassles are defined as minor events that occur, which require adaptation throughout the day

(ex. bad traffic, disagreements). [3] When stress becomes chronic, one experiences emotional,

behavioral, and physiological changes that can put one under greater risk for developing a

mental disorder and physical illness.

Stress outside of the workplace

Non-work demands can create stress both inside and outside of work. Stress is inherently

cumulative, and it can be difficult to separate our personal and professional stress inducers.

Examples of non work stress that can be carried into the workplace include.

Home demands: Relationships,children, and family responsibilities can add stress

that is hard to leave behind when entering the workplace. The academy of management

journal states that this constitutes an individual's lack of personal resources needed to fulfill

commitments, obligations, or requirements

7
Personal demands: Personal demands are brought on by the person when he or she takes on

too many responsibilities, either inside or outside of work.

Work-related stressWhile some workplace stress is normal, excessive

stress can interfere with your productivity and performance, impact
your physical and emotional health, and affect your relationships and
home life. It can even determine success or failure on the job. You
can't control everything in your work environment, but that doesn't
mean you're powerless, even when you're stuck in a difficult
situation. Whatever your ambitions or work demands, there are steps
you can take to protect yourself from the damaging effects of stress,
improve your job satisfaction, and bolster your well-being in and out
of the workplace. Stress isn't always bad. A little bit of stress can help
you stay focused, energetic, and able to meet new challenges in the
workplace. It's what keeps you on your toes during a presentation or
alert to prevent accidents or costly mistakes. But in today's hectic
world, the workplace too often seems like an emotional roller coaster.
Long hours, tight deadlines, and ever-increasing demands can leave
you feeling worried, drained, and overwhelmed. And when stress
exceeds your ability to cope, it stops being helpful and starts causing
damage to your mind and body— as well as to your job satisfaction.
If stress on the job is interfering with your work performance, health or personal life, it's time
to take action. No matter what you do for a living, or how stressful your job is, there are
plenty of things you can do to reduce your overall stress levels and regain a sense of control

14
at work.
8
Common causes of workplace stress include:

Fear of being laid off

More overtime due to staff cutbacks

Pressure to perform to meet rising expectations but with no increase in job satisfaction

Pressure to work at optimum levels —all the time! Lack of control

over how you do your work

When you're overly focused on work, it's easy to neglect your physical health. But

when you're supporting your health with good nutrition and exercise, you're stronger and

more resilient to stress.

Taking care of yourself doesn't require a total lifestyle overhaul. Even small things can lift

your mood, increase your energy, and make you feel like you're back in the driver's seat.

Work related stress caused by poor work characteristics can be seen as an imbalance between

on the one hand physical and psychological work demands, and on the other hand personal

resources such as knowledge, skills or abilities. If both work and person related

characteristics are taken into consideration, valuable new knowledge could be added and be

useful in future research assessing work related stress in women.

9
 REVIEW OF LITRETURE
Bhattacharjee et, al. (1983) studied on family adjustment of married working and non

working

women's. A specially developed adjustment inventory, a health-status questionnaire, a

neuroticism scale, and an incomplete sentences blank to 76 married working and 70 married

nonworking women's. No significant differences in adjustment or neuroticism were found

between the working and nonworking Ss, nor were any differences found on the incomplete

sentences measure of psychological conflicts. It is concluded that a woman's adjustment,

whether

employed or not, is a function of her own personality traits, expectations, and perceptions

combined with those of her spouse and family members.

Canlon .B. (1986) studied was examined the sexual dysfunction and disorder patterns of 218

married working and nonworking women's were compared in a retrospective analysis of

couples

presenting for sexual and marital therapy at the Masters Johnson Institute. Results indicated

that women's who were pursuing careers of an ongoing, developmental nature were twice as

likely to present with a primary complaint of inhibited sexual desire than women's who were

employed in jobs that emphasized the immediate organization of activities) or women's who

were unemployed outside of the home. "Career" women's were also significant4 more likely

to

present with veganism's than the other two groups of subjects. "Job" and

16

"Unemployed" women's were more likely to complain of concerns related to orgasmic return
than "career" subjects. The results were interpreted in terms of psychological and

interpersonal

10

stressors characteristic of married couples when wives pursue careers) and also in terms of

the

impact of traditional values regarding sexuality when wives are not involved in careers.

Hashmi Ahmed Hina (2007) studied was conducted to determine the marital adjustment,

stress

and depression among working and non working married women's. Sample of the study

consisted of 150 working and non working married women's. Their education was at least

gradation and above. They belong to middle and high socio-economic status. Results

indicated

highly significant relationship between marital adjustment, depression and stress. The

findings of

the results also show that working married women's have to face more problems in their

married

life as compared to non working married women's. The results further show that highly

educated

working and non working married women's can perform well in their married life and they

are

free from depression as compared to educated working and non working married women's.

Khanna. S (1992) studied was conducted to determine life stress among working and

nonworking women's in relation to anxiety and depression. Here sample (N=406) women's

are

defined from three located respectively, Jalandar (Panjab) and Simla (Hiachala Pradesh) in

India.

Correlation analysis reveals that: 1. Anxiety is significantly and

negatively related to positive life

11

change in nonworking women's; 2. Depression is significantly and

positively related to positive-

life change in working women's, and negative life change in nonworking women's. These

results suggest that in India, among working women's positive life changes are related to

depression,

whereas among nonworking women's positive life changes are related to anxiety, and

negative

life changes to depression.

Saniier Nevin (2007) the study was conducted to examine in a sample of working and non

working women's, the relationship between stress and working status. Data were gathered

from

540 women's living in turkey. Mean, standard deviation, t test were performed. Stress system

scale, stress related factors and total stress score were significantly associated with state of

working. Family issues (p>0.001), environmental issues (p<0.001)., social self issues(p<0.0010.

individual role issues(p,0.001) and financial issues(p<0.001) in working women's, have a

higher

score than that of the non working women's. Working women's in the subscales of immune

system (p<0.001) and susceptibility to stress scale have a higher average score than that of the

non working. It has been determined that total stress score of working women's is higher

18
12
compared to non working women's and that there is a significant difference between

women's working status and total stress scores (p<0.001). Working women's have

higher level of stress than non working women's. The results suggest that increased

stress was associated with working status of Turkish women's. Shirin Ahmad& Nia

(2002) studies had analyzed research on the impact of work on mothers' health in

Tehran (Iran) within a role analytic framework. A survey was conducted of

arepresentative sample of working and non working mothers in Tehran in 1998

(N=1065). Three main explanatory factors were examined alongside a range of mental

and physical health outcome variables. Unlike in the West, where women's paid work

is generally associated with better health, statistically significant differences between

working and non working women.

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 OBJECTIVE
The objective of the present study is to find out the perceived stress among working and non

working women

HYPOTHESIS
Working women would differ from non working women in their perceived stress.

METHOD
The simple of the present study comprised working and non working women. A total on of 15

nonworking and 15 working women were included in this study.The age group of subject

ranged from 30-40 years. The mean age is 35 years. The instrument used in this study were

companied arid printed in both English and Hindi. Each instrument contained a separate set

of instructions. Some background information regarding age,gender, educational qualification

were obtained from the respondents. The respondents were requested to spare some time for

the purpose of data collection.

INSTRUMENT
The following instruments were used for collecting the data from the sample.

Perceived stress scale (PSS)

Stress was measured, using perceived stress scale (PSS), developed by Cohen

Kamarck a and Mermelstein (1983).PSS has been widely used. Its reliability and validity been

established (covhen and Williamson,1988). The scale measure the degree to which situation in

one life are required to score between 0 to 4 (0 for never, 1 for almost never , 2 for sometime , 3

for fairly often and 4 for very often ) Scoring is reversed for item numbers 4, 5, 7 and 8. Score

ranging from 0-13 indicate low stress, 14-27 indicate medium stress and 28-40 indicate high

stress.

14
 PROCEDURE
In this study, to assess the perceived stress among working and non working

women perceived stress scale Test (PSST) questionnaire was used. A total no of 30 working

and non working women (15 working and 15 non working women) were included in this

study. All working and non working were contacted to fill up the questionnaire during their

Free hours. All the working and non working women were found to be very sincere and

cooperation

ANALYSIS AND RESULT

As per the design of the present study the mean and SD score of working and non
working women on stress were presented in the following table.

TABLE 1
GROUP N MEAN SD
Mean and sd score of working and non working women on stress.
WORKING WOMEN 15 18.4 7.00

NON WORKING 15 20.66 3.37

WOMEN
 15

Table lrepresents the mean and sd score of working and non working women on perceived
stress. From the table-1 it is seen that the mean and sd score of non working women is
found to be (20.66) and (3.37) respectively and the mean and sd score of working women is
found to be (18.4)and (7.00) respectively.

GRAPH
t Graph represents the mean and sd of working and non working women on perceived
stress.
0

0
I%
0

0
0

t
 16

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

The objective of the present study is to find out perceived stress among working and

non working women. From the result it is seen that the mean score of non working on

perceived stress is more compared to the working women. The working women are

experiencing less stress compare to the non working women. The reason could be due to the

fact that the non working women have less opportunity to share their feeling and experiences
to others. Because they are preoccupied with the household activities. Non working women

get less opportunity to develop their interpersonal skills with others. On the other hand

working women are getting enough opportunity to do involve themselves in different

activities in their work field. As a result of which they get an opportunity to share their

emotions with outside world. Therefore, even if working women are experiencing stress but it

is less compared to non working women. Repeated exposure to the same activities for the non

working women creates more stress for them compared to the women.

Therefore from the present study it is concluded that the non working women

should involve themselves other than the household activities to experience less stress.

SUGGESTION FOR FUTURE RESEARCH

The objective of the present study is to assess perceived stress among working and

non working women. So from the result it is seen that the mean score of non working women

is found to be more, compare to working women.

The following are some suggestions for further research.

(1) In the present study only 30 samples were included so in further research more

sample should be included for comparative analysis.

(2) In the present study the sample were tested on perceived stress only . so in

further research other psychological dimensions should be taken into account for a

better analysis.

17

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