Everyone experiences stress as some point, but it turns out that stress is not an “equal opportunity” condition when it comes to gender.
In fact, according to a study by the American Psychological Association, women and men cite different sources for their stress, different reactions to stressful situations, and different habits for handling stress.
- More women than men state that their stress levels are on the rise (49% vs. 39%)
- Women cite money and the economy as key sources of stress, while men most often cite work
- Women are more likely to report physical and emotional side-effects from stress
- More married wonen report “a great deal” of stress (33%) compared to single women (22%)
Certainly women in leadership positions experience a high levels of stress. Due to the additional pressure most women place on themselves to be the primary care-giver, home manager, party-planner and workout warrior, the stress levels can get much higher than that of their male peers. Women’s ability to manage their response to stress is a key factor in their success, not to mention overall well-being.
Interestingly, women report higher confidence than men in their ability to succeed in areas that are important to managing stress, such as getting enough sleep and spending time with friends & family.
This week, Momentum brings Dr. Sharon Melnick to Birmingham to share her research on Success without Stress with our current Momentum class. Dr. Melnick is a leading authority on business psychology, stress resilience, and women’s leadership. Her methods are informed by 10 years of research at Harvard Medical School and field tested by over 17,000 clients and training participants. Dr. Melnick will explore underlying causes of stress, classic female responses to stress, how women get in their own way of managing stress, and many strategies for succeeding in life while reducing stress levels.
We look forward to sharing insights from Dr. Melnick’s time with our class in our blog post next week.
