The #MeToo Movement that began in October 2017 has been a watershed for gender politics, sparking a much-needed dialogue—one that should have started long, long ago—about the impacts of workplace sexual harassment and violence. However, little time has since been devoted to discussing the psychological impacts such trauma can inflict on its victims.
This is a conversation that desperately needs to be had, especially when it comes to the gender differences that are seen in mental health disorders, as it is a known fact that mental health disorders occur at much higher rates for women than they do for men. For instance, women are twice as likely to have major depressive disorder than men. Furthermore, despite what may be conventional belief, women are actually the single largest group of people affected by Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and as the horrifying accounts of those in the #MeToo movement have been showing, it is no wonder that this is so.
However, it is not just explicit harassment and violence that can have substantial effects on the mental health of women. Even the simple gender inequalities that have become so inherent in our society, like the gender pay gap or the underrepresentation of women in the workplace, can have a long-lasting effect on psychological well-being.
One study demonstrated that women experienced significantly higher frequencies of psychological distress in unequal workplaces—where the majority of employees were men and men had higher wages—in comparison to workplaces that were more gender-equal. Another study demonstrated that, in workplaces where there is a pay gap between men and women, the prevalence of depressive disorders and generalized anxiety disorders was significantly higher for women than they were for men. In Canadian workplaces, such results have significant implications. Despite the values of equity boasted by our federal government, Canada has a gender pay gap that is double the global average—with women earning $8,000 less, annually, than men in Canada, compared to $4,000 less worldwide.
Such substantial mental health implications are also significant for workplaces in the fields of academia and scientific research, especially in STEM fields. In Canada, the number of women with PhDs in STEM lags behind the United States and the United Kingdom, and the prevalence of women in STEM fields has only risen 2% since 1987, from 20% to 22% in 2016. Only 30% of the 1,612 positions in the prestigious Canada Research Chairs program are held by women.
The society we live in today makes it hard for women to reach the top. In fields like academia, especially, gender biases can have a significant career impact as well as a mental health one. One study showed that both female and male students rated professors whom they thought were male higher than those they thought to be female in course evaluations, even if their teaching skills were equivalent—which, as the authors of this study note, can have a significant impact on career prospects in academia, as course evaluations are factored in the decision-making process for promotions. Lower career ranks have been shown to be associated with the prevalence of mood disorders like depression.
The inherent gender biases that exist in our society need to be addressed and resolved, and a serious discussion needs to emerge regarding the impacts of discrimination on women’s mental health. If women cannot have an equal chance at climbing the workplace ladder, then we are setting them up to fail, not only career-wise, but in their mental well-being, too.
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