[The effects of paid employment, social activities participation on women's health and comparison of role qualities].
OBJECTIVE
We examined how differences in employment status and social activities participation related to mental and physical health of women in middle age. Moreover we examined how the relation between employment status, social activities participation and health could be explained by the differences of role qualities between housework, paid work, and social activities.


METHODS
The subjects were 640 women aged 35 to 44 in Tokyo, and the study was carried out with mailed questionnaires in 1997.


RESULTS
1. Women with full-time jobs had higher purpose-in-life scores than women with part-time jobs, or who didn't work, but they were also most fatigued physically. 2. Women who participated in social activities for 1 to 4 hours per week had lower depression scores and higher purpose-in-life scores than women who did not participate in any social activities, or who participated in social activities for more than 5 hours per week. 3. Women who weren't employed and didn't participate in any social activities were most depressed and had the lowest purpose-in-life scores. 4. Paid work and social activities were evaluated higher in 'fulfillment' and 'relation to society' than housework. Full-time job was evaluated higher in physical and mental 'workload' than housework, but social activities did not differ from housework in physical and mental 'workload'. 5. The role quality differences of housework from that of paid work and social activities, explained the relation between employment status, social activities participation and health.
Yoshii
K
K
Department of Health Sociology, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tokyo.
Yamazaki
Y
Y
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000328:Adult; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology; D004651:Employment; D015444:Exercise; D005221:Fatigue / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011788:Quality of Life; D012925:Social Conformity; D016387:Women's Health