She Needs a Wife: Problems of Women Managers

A major research study investigating the problems and pressures associated with being a female manager in contrast to male managers, is described, along with the relationship between these pressures and their effects on the managers themselves. The research implications of the findings are also presented, with special emphasis on training needs and organisational policy changes that are required. A model of occupational stress is presented, comprising pressures faced by female and male managers at work, at home and socially, individual influences, and the effects these pressures have in terms of behavioural (e.g. work performance, alcohol intake) and psychosomatic stress symptoms (e.g. headaches, anxiety, etc).