Fear of losing a job also raises heart risk, shows largest study of its kind
Article Source: msnbc.com
from:msnbc.comWomen with stressful jobs have 40 percent higher heart risks
Seeded on Sun Nov 14, 2010 2:28 PM EST (msnbc.com)
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What surpising results.
No kidding. Stress causes heart problems; I had no idea.
Is it me or are these articles getting absurdly obvious?
I must be getting old.
Next up: water is wet.
The article says, "Past studies focused on men". I would think it painfully obvious that you can't assume women always have the same outcomes as men in studies and don't need to BE studied.
Now what? Massive funding to cure heart attacks in women? This study was stupid, stress causes medical issues - who knew? Even without stress, men still have a greater risk for heart attacks. This was a waste of somebodies money.
If I didn't swim and walk the dogs--I'd freak out to the max. If you heard me on national radio shows to being a calm, centered phone psychic advisor -- and penning books -- you'd think I'm balanced, easy-going. I give all the credit to swimming laps in water and my two four-leggers. My best advice: Find a physical activity you love and you'll hate it if you miss it.
I know people are going to jump down my throat for saying it, but it is a sign that women are, however, slowly, achieving parity in the workplace with men.
But, you know, we need to never forget that there was a time when women were sheltered from much of the workplace's stress and were expected instead to make the home a shelter from stress for men and to raise children in the best environment they could provide for them.
But just having one earner in the family was not enough for corporate, capitalist America. Two earners could buy so much more useless stuff than just one earner. And if everyone's stress levels went up and children were pushed aside in the process, it was just a small price to pay for consumerism gone wild.
Too bad. Those days really did exist and they will never come back.
I wont jump down your throat.
Women, in an attempt to have the equality of men have cut their nose to spite their face. Civil rights is one thing, gender equality is another.
So corporate, capitalist America is the ultimate source of the problem?
I don't see it that way. Gaining equality in the workplace for women is a perfectly good and noble goal.
However, the workplace which causes such stress for Men or Women needs to be reformed
Both are goals to strive for and protect in society.
Our form of American capitalism is a problem on the national level and the individual level.
I think Chris got it right. I don't think equality in the workplace is worth having for most women.
Women really are different from men -- or at least they used to be. Children need their moms. Men need wives. Society needs women.
The National Organization of Women had and still has such a deep and bitter hatred for women that it would not stop until it had completely denigrated and destroyed respect and value for all things feminine. Young women today don't even remember what it is to be a woman. The only thing they know about is how to serve as a seminal spittoon.
The loss of the contribution of women is why our society is so sick, and why it will never recover.
All of that can be applied to men too. Children need their dads, wifes need their husbands, Society needs men.
None of it means women should restrain from building a career anymore than men should.
Reasons to say a women should stay home are a hold back to a long gone era. Outside of pregnancy for a time, there is no more reason a women should not go into a career than a man.
Sadly one of the most important jobs in the world has been deemed as nothing more than a joke and beneath women...the housewife.
The housewife is responsible for so many things that keep the household functioning. yet women say they are housewives with a sense of shame or embarrassment.
Maybe if they renamed it "domestic engineer" it would be considered more seriously.
Consider what has happened to society since the decline of the housewife:
1. children are prone to abuse
2. children have no moral guidance
3. children have no parental boundaries
4. parents are virtual strangers to their children
5. obesity in America -there is no one cooking meals at home anymore so fast food reigns
The housewife is the hub that keep the family connected.
But that job is beneath women. So I hear.
If it is so great why are not you asking for more house-husbands as well?
If someone needs to stay home, there is no reason it shouldn't be dad anyless than it should be mom.
Plus from the income perspectivce. Two income are not just needed to buy extra "junk" anymore. In parts of the country 2 incomes are needed just to meet the basic needs.
Women still account for nearly none of the annual deaths in the workplace. Women still have a long way to go.
Just as well. Given today's young "ladies" are incompetent domestically speaking.
Being able to run a house was once a point of pride but that was once upon a time when women had some dignity and took pride in what they did without having to compete with men to justify their existence..
There is a reason. Men think anyone can be a mom. Only a woman can be a mom. And no matter how much he loves his kids, a dad can't replace mom.
Furthermore, it wasn't just about running a home and raising children. Women used to do many things that no one appreciated. The attended PTA meetings and held the schools to decent standards. They did community work. They helped their husbands to rise in their careers. In many ways, they policed society. You see what we have without that influence.
Women offered a great deal. Too bad it was thrown away as worthless. And not just bad for the men, children, and society. Women have lost so much of themselves, of their souls. Men will laugh, of course. Women may become angry. But deep inside they know something is dreadfully wrong, even if they no longer have enough femininity left to know what it is.
It amazes me how many men think there is nothing special about being a woman. Few of them would agree that a woman can as easily be a man, but they all seem to think they can fill the role of a woman.
@kc-2656817
I am in total agreement
Well thanks for "protecting" us so well from the work force and any "stress" in the GOOD ol days. LOL (you can pull your head out of the sand now.)
kc-2656817 wrote "Women used to do many things that no one appreciated. "
Of course the female contribution in the household was appreciated. Who would tolerate a free-loader? Women developed the home culture. Today, culture is a nearly a foreign word that draws perplexed looks. Culture? Huh. We're watching Fashion Runaway. Couple that with short marriages for which 70% of divorces are filed for women, and you really have something a husband doesn't appreciate.
The double standards here are killing me. If only a woman can be a mom, then only a man can be a dad. Men are needed just as much as women are and each has certain areas they fit better in or excel at. Sure, there are some, and by some I mean 1 in 10,000 that can do the 'men only' type jobs. Just as there are some men that can do 'women only' jobs. Gender inequality is needed in society, not inequality as in one's better than the other but one is better suited for a task than another. We are different, we will never be 'equal' in the sense people would like but we can (and hopefully will be) equally respected no matter what.
You've come a long way, baby. Good for you.
"according to an U.S. government funded study".......yet another waste of money.
Being one of those high stress, little control employees I suffered a heart by-pass, a heart attack and have had a stent inserted. And, yes, I would attribute all of this to my job and my inability to have a life outside of it. So, for those still in good health I would tell you to insist on time for your life and for those things you find enjoyable. A company will use you until your health is gone and then replace you in a minute.
Our mothers were all genetically predestined to wear combat boots.
Ma, gimme "10" you puke!
ERA Now!
Steinbaum? Stone tree.
Pretty petrified! A "hard" woman is bad to find!
I'm a teacher who takes her job way too seriously and have been under stress with my husband's work situation for the past 3 years. I had a heart attack at 41 even though I'm an avid runner, have no family history, eat well and take care of myself. One of the first questions the cardiac team asked when I was out of the hospital was what kind of stress I am under. You can make fun of the article and say that it's pointing out the obvious, but I had three cardiologists befuddled and dismayed because heart attacks shouldn't happen to someone like me. I'm slowly working on letting things slide and not taking life too seriously, but it's a work in progress.
I will add one more thing to this - while women do have high stress jobs, they also do the majority of the housework, and kid raising - making it even worse. And for those that want to go back to the "way they were" - right. What about those of us who didn't WANT to stay home, married with kids? There were a lot of us, which is why there WAS a feminist revolution! "Young women don't remember what it was like to be a woman?" Really? You mean, having no financial say, no credit, no power in the marriage, no ability to leave if things were bad? No ability for those who WANTED a career to have one, unless they were a teacher or a nurse? To not be taken seriously BECAUSE they were a woman? Comments like that just tick me off to no end! It's not the JOB - it's the ability to control your work and workplace. The answer is simple - get more education, and get a better job!
I have seen those situations. But anyone women that just accepts the husband not stepping up and doing 1/2 the house work when both spouses are employed full time is contributing to her own problem.
If both people work full time, then "house work" should be 1/2 to each. Anything else is stupidity and unacceptable.
Mom of Four wrote "I will add one more thing to this - while women do have high stress jobs, they also do the majority of the housework, and kid raising - making it even worse"
The American woman's average longetivity is five years longer than the average American man's.
" they also do the majority of the housework, "
That's only fair. Men continue to spend more hours at work away from home to contribute the majority of household income.
Real Worl Engineer wrote "If both people work full time, then "house work" should be 1/2 to each. Anything else is stupidity and unacceptable."
Then so should the financial contribution. Women continue to work fewer hours outside of the home during the week for fewer years while living five years longer. That means that women cost more.
Love the tips....WHY DO YOU THINK WE ARE STRESSED IN THE FIRST PLACE? Duh, if I had time to "exercise", "relax", "meditate", "hang out with friends" I wouldn't be in this position in the first place! How about this solution; Tell our husbands to get off the freakin internet and help their wifes who work full time and take care of the kids full time to start chipping in around the house before our heads explode? There. There's your solution.
All of your comments are wonderful, and there is much truth in each. I especially appreciate the comments from the mom of four, who correctly pointed out that not every woman wants to stay home and be a housewife (but understand that having at least one parent at home, whether man or women, mother or father, does create that "peaceful nest" that we would all like to come home to). The important point to remember about feminism is that it is NOT about preventing women from being women. We are women. The point is that we will not allow someone else to define what it means to be a woman for us. I am a busy attorney, and mother of a small child and step-mother to two teenagers. I find myself drowning in work, mothering, a messy house, etc. I have a loving and helpful husband, so for that I am grateful. I cannot imagine living this life without him. Even still, I often feel like this cannot go on, if I continue to try to do my best at work. My "best" at work essentially requires me never to come home - or to bring work home with me. What if we all decide that our "best" is something less? What if we leave work at the office, tell our bosses to shove off, and hand in something that is good, but not perfect? I am not there yet. I am still Type A, driven, with a healthy ego, and a desire to do my best - always. People count on me - clients, children, husband. This is my dilemma. Where can we go from here?
Alison wrote " The point is that we will not allow someone else to define what it means to be a woman for us."
The comfortable 9-5 office job was enabled by male technological invention. Feminism had nothing to do with it.
If feminism is about social equality, why don't female organziations encourage the social change for women to perform the dangerous, uncomfortable, irregular hour, variable location work that men do while sustaining 50% of the workplace deaths? Likewise, men could also be defined to perform the safe, comfortable, preduictable work that women currently dominate.
The National Science Foundation launched a $30 Million program designed to encourage more women to pursue scientific education and work. Why are there no male-specific programs, such as affirmative action for mento enter teaching in public Education?
Vincent: what planet have YOU been on the last few decades? You actually think women don't work in "uncomfortable, irregular hour, variable location work"?? (and where on earth is the logic in linking dangerous work to science degrees??)
Just take a look at any outdoor, night-time job, and the ranks will be 100% men. A woman's idea of work is an air-conditioned office and a computer, and even that mostly involves communication instead of product development.
Even at corporations that offer desk jobs to all, a run through the sea of cubicles outside of 9-5 or on weekends will reveal that nearly all of the workers putting in extra hours are men.
Oh, dude. IF ONLY you could experience one menstrual cycle. Or giving birth. I guarantee that your skinny little butt or your big brawny or big, fat @$$, whichever you have, wouldn't be able to handle it. I was once married to a man who, if he'd had anything that could be comparable to menstrual cramps, it would have flattened him. If he had a simple cold with a snotty nose, or a case of the runs, he was in bed moaning, groaning and begging me to make him some Jell-O. I made the Jell-O for him, but I drew the line at wiping his nose, or his butt for him. TRUE STORY.
And by "outdoor, night-time job" you mean construction or working on power or telephone lines, OF COURSE men do them because they have something that most women just don't have -- UPPER BODY STRENGTH. Most men are tall and can reach things that a shorter woman just cannot. It's not like any of us CHOSE any of these aspects; they've been there since prehistoric times. LET'S BE LOGICAL HERE, PEOPLE!!!
The article said that most of the women in the study were health professionals.
They obviously chose the right demographic: nursing is one of the most stressful jobs there is. It's a wonder we all haven't had heart attacks.
Isn't that the truth!
My folks wanted me to be a nurse but I refused. I'm glad I did, because I reverse numbers without realizing it, and that would not be good for taking patients' readings. It could be deadly, and I wouldn't want to be responsible for that. I believe that I've saved a lot of lives by listening to MYSELF and becoming a writer instead. Nursing is for someone smarter than me, and I'll be the first to admit it. Anyone out there trying to pressure their offspring or anyone else into a career that they KNOW is wrong for them needs to stop. It could save lives in the future.
Congratulations to the 'scientists' behind this study.
I'm stunned that the results didn't reveal that stress was great and makes you poop candy corn.
Sadly, we are living in stressful times anyway. Job loss, home foreclosures and general decline in the way of living has had a negative impact on health. This is a very important study for women's health. Better understanding will hopefully lead to better health.
Do rich people create jobs, or does demand create jobs?
This is the basic question to trickle up or tickle down economics. If consumers have no money to buy goods there is no need for production. Money in the hands of consumers creates demand, demand creates jobs.
I've also read that when women took over the high stress jobs, they took over the bar stools as well. Role change is good. Our eyes are truly opened when we walk in another's shoes. Life is hard, but fair. We surely appreciate our fellow human being's plight in life after the journey is experienced in another light. I think many people are in for a rude awakening. But change is good.
I don't know if anyone has read the statistics on pay for women in this country, but between the jobs offered the average woman, and in NJ, where I am from, the average pay for a woman in the county I live is 32% less than that for a man...considering THAT, why wouldn't we feel stress just on THAT basis alone. Consider also, that men up and leave women with children, and that 30% lower salary to run all the needs of a household. It's rare that a man has full custody of children in these cases, and to top it all off, women are often the caregivers of their parents as well. Add up this life stress, with work stress, and it's a recipe for disaster. We have ALWAYS known, women are not as "sturdy physically" as men, as far back as the Conestoga wagon times...when the WOMEN and the CHILDREN died crossing the country that way, but not the MEN. Why is this news? We women need to be treated much better than we are.
Of course women don't 'just up and leave' men, good men. They take their kids too and then demand so much of their paycheck that they can barely survive. Some states give the mother the kids no matter what, even when she's on crack and he's a good, hard working man. I'd say it's about equal on being the caregivers of their parents as well. Stop with the feminist 'woe is me' stuff. Some things need to change still, I'll agree, but the degree that some take it is off the charts.
Lets line up all of the women teachers and other government workers that are over the age of 35 and take a look to see if they are overweight and out of shape. Its obvious that these women are ticking time bombs waiting for health problems to explode. These women make choices in life and are not victims as they have chosen to become what they are.
Bighorn: Just the women?? We all make life choices and no where in here is anyone claiming to be the "victim" of those choices. (Good for you thought that you'll never be over 35 or never have any health issues.).
On 05/03/2010, I was admitted to ER, due to on-going work related stress. Heart rate sustained over 190 bmp. Anxiety, etc. Weeks of therapy to brings heart rate down. Continue to have heart problems with racing heart, etc. Healthy, strong heart. Healthy life-style. I have Fibromyalgia/CFS. Diabetes, well managed-A1C 5. Hypothyroidism-all well managed, until this date. Heart is a Muscle. FMS may effect heart. Explained as possible heart attack due to "Migraine of the heart". Diagnosed in '96. Also, managed very well until this day. FMLA-12 weeks. ADA extended time off for recover, until 09/2010. Physician determine-I can return to the type of work I do, however, not to this office due to people I was working with. & months without income, etc. Devastating in all aspects of life. Career, Master level grad student, family terrified, etc. I have always been "the strong one"-Matriarch of Family. Healthy 74 year old mother- triggered heart and other health issues. Just about killed her to see me so ill and to care for me. Symptoms of FMS worsened causing total disability. Spouse bailed after we lost 50% of our income. I was making over $50,000 a year. Working on getting back to work-afraid at my age. Live in rural state. Available jobs-over a 100 miles from home.
Women face incredible amounts of stress on a daily basis, and it's no surprise that all this anxiety and worry is negatively affecting their health. Fortunately, there are many simple, inexpensive ways to dramatically lower stress levels, and you can start doing them right now. My favorite technique to recommend to patients with high stress is called Stressbuster Imagery: http://bit.ly/bLpxwE. If you find yourself worrying obsessively, you might benefit from Positive Worry Imagery:http://bit.ly/b1ly2e. These techniques and all the others described in The Worry Solution have immediate health benefits and will go a long way towards lowering the risk of heart disease in women.