WORK STRESS AND WOMEN’S HEALTH IN EKITI STATE CIVIL SERVICE BY

Stress not only increases medical costs but also reduce the efficient capability of an individual. It becomes imperative to manage stress so as to reduce ill health and associated medical costs as women are at a higher risk for the development of stress or strain related illnesses. This paper seeks to identify the possible causes of stress, investigates the effect of reported stress experienced by women on their health, and examines the coping strategies used by women. The study adopted the use of structural functionalist theory and Health Belief Model in explaining the disposition of women in the civil service to seek medical attention. The study employed both quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection. A total of 250 questionnaires were distributed among women in Ekiti State Civil Service Commission. 203 questionnaires were retrieved and used for the analysis while 25 respondents were interviewed. The quantitative data was analyzed by using SPSS v 18 while the qualitative data was analyzed through manual content analysis. The findings revealed that 55.2% are of the opinion that long working hours and overtime is the major cause of stress among women. This implies that as women spend much time at work, results in stress, which in turn affect their health. Consequently, work‐related stress among women should be reduced and women should engage in meaningful activities that are less stressful. The knowledge gained in this paper could be used to develop a rehabilitation programme in the return to work process.