Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this study is to analyse the extent to which research and knowledge production on a key occupational health issue—the impact of precarious employment on health—incorporates, and is sensitive to, a gender perspective.
Methods
A systematic literature review was carried out to identify studies that analysed the relationship between precarious employment and mental health in the period January 2010–May 2018 through. A minimum of two independent reviewers assessed each article for quality and eligibility. A checklist was used to determine whether the articles included in the review incorporated a gender perspective.
Results
The search retrieved 1522 papers, of which 54 (corresponding to 53 studies) met the inclusion criteria. Of these 54 papers, 22 (40.7%) stratified the analyses by sex. Only 5.4% of the total of articles both stratified by sex and considered variables of household composition and marital status, while only 33.3% incorporated an intersectional perspective. None considered the distribution of domestic work and only a quarter (25.9%) approached the study and interpreted the results in terms of gender.
Conclusion
Too few studies researching paid work and health include a gender perspective. This omission necessarily implies a biased interpretation of the reality of precarious employment and its impact on health.
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Valero, E., Martin, U., Bacigalupe, A. et al. The impact of precarious jobs on mental health: a gender-sensitive literature review. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 94, 577–589 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-020-01605-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-020-01605-7