Harriet Gross

Pregnancy, work and women's well-being: A review

Abstract Pregnancy is potentially a stressful period for working women for ergonomic, psychological and organizational reasons, yet the well-being of women is seldom the focus of research on working during pregnancy. This paper reviews the literature on womens experience of being pregnant at work. It concludes that, while working conditions are usually not well suited to pregnant women, the majority of women encounter only minor difficulties and regard working in a positive way. However, for a minority of women working during pregnancy adversely affects their well-being. These are likely to be women working during pregnancy adversely affects their well-being. These are likely to be women who are most at risk from work-related stress at other times. The literature suggests that working during pregnancy has still to be accepted and accommodated by employers and colleagues.

Pregnancy and employment : the perceptions and beliefs of fellow workers

Abstract This study investigated working peoples perceptions and beliefs of pregnancy and employment. One hundred and sixty-nine respondents completed a postal questionnaire, the main part of which consisted of 40 Likert scaled items about pregnancy and work. Analysis of the results revealed a main effect of gender whereby women were more positive than men (F(l,l61) = 36.51; p < 0.0001). There were also main effects of age, whereby people aged between 26 and 45 were the most positive (<F(4,164) = 3.53; p < 0.009), and workplace, whereby the university workers were more positive than workers in a manufacturing industry (F(l,16l) = 3.51; p < 0.017). Direct experience, or a partners experience, of working during pregnancy had an effect on total scores which approached significance, but having worked with a pregnant woman was only linked to more positive responses if that experience was also rated positively. The results are interpreted in terms of differences in proximity to the experience of working during...

Addicted to joyriding? An exploration of young offenders’ accounts of their car crime

Abstract The youth crime of “joyriding” (stealing a car for the fun of driving) has been, largely anecdotally, considered as addictive. This study explored the concept of addiction to joyriding by considering the activity within the context of a dependency model. Fifty, in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with convicted joyriders (aged 15–21 years) from England and Northern Ireland. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and, using DSM-type dependency criteria as the standard by which addictive behaviour could be determined, a qualitative thematic analysis was undertaken. A range of dependency criteria were found to be present in the careers of joyriders and it was concluded that some individuals appeared to be engaging in their joyriding activities in an addictive manner. Implications in terms of the rehabilitation of persistent joyriders are discussed, as well as theoretical implications concerning the nature of exploratory research into the nature of potentially addictive behaviours.

Cognitive failure during pregnancy

Abstract Many women report an increased incidence of cognitive failure in pregnancy. Psychological literature on cognitive failure suggests that it occurs more frequently at times of stress, when task demands are high and when people undergo a disruption in routine, all of which could apply to pregnancy. This study investigates links between womens reported cognitive failure during pregnancy and psychological and social factors. Thirty-one pregnant women were interviewed and asked to complete the Cognitive Failure Questionnaire and Middlesex Hospital Questionnaire at 4-weekly intervals during their pregnancy. The results suggest that womens cognitive failure scores in pregnancy are not significantly higher than the general female population, though some of the women studied did report very frequent cognitive failures. Levels of reported cognitive failure were related to maternal occupation, psychological and physical health prior to pregnancy. Differences in reported cognitive failure during pregnancy w...

Pregnancy and Working: A Critical Reading of Advice and Information on Pregnancy and Employment

As more women remain in paid employment during pregnancy, womens public role as worker is enacted in parallel with the transition to the private role of mother. Cultural resources, such as books, magazines and other literature, may support this transition and help to identify the expectations of new and changing roles. Information and advice about working contained in such publications may also be implicated in the continuation of public and private beliefs about pregnancy and employment. Investigation of the representations of work in literature available to pregnant women suggests several topics with-in which material on working can occur; these are health, rights, and work and home. This coverage is discussed in relation to the different discourses of pregnancy, particularly a discourse of responsibility, and how these may position women as workers or mothers.