CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION AND DESIGN OF THE STUDYshodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/61497/6/06_chapter 1.pdf · it. Based on a review of international research, it is concluded

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION AND DESIGN OF THE STUDY

1.1. INTRODUCTION

1.3. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

1.4. REVIEW OF LITERATURE

1.4.1. STUDIES RELATED TO INDIA

1.4.2. STUDIES RELATED TO FOREIGN COUNTRIES

1.5. SCOPE OF THE STUDY

1.6. IMPORTANCE OF THE STUDY

1.7. NULL HYPOTHESES

1.8. DEFINITION OF CONCEPTS

1.8.1. PRIVATE SECTOR

1.8.2. ORGANIZATIONAL CLIMATE

1.8.3. SELF ESTEEM

1.8.4. STRESS

1.8.5. CONTROL

1.8.6. WORKLOAD

1.8.7. ROLE AMBIGUITY

1.8.8. ROLE CONFLICT

1.8.9. DEPRESSION

1.8.10. ANXIETY

1.9. METHODOLOGY

1.9.1. COLLECTION OF DATA

1.9.2. CONSTRUCTION OF QUESTIONNAIRE

1.9.3. SAMPLING DESIGN

1.9.4. FIELD WORK

1.9.5. FRAME WORK OF ANALYSIS

1.10. LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

1.11. CHAPTER SCHEME

1

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION AND DESIGN OF THE STUDY

1.1. INTRODUCTION

Work is a dominant element with core importance for status and

development of the economy and the individual worker. Many people spend

half of their lives in work-related activities. No other activity demands

consistent physical, emotional and cognitive stress as work stress. Working in

organizations gives individuals life-sustaining income but also exerts pressure

on them. This can have negative consequences for achieving the goals of the

organization and meeting the needs of the individuals. If the work

environment is a source of social and psychological stress, it can have harmful

effects on the well-being of the employees.

Stress is frequently a disabling human phenomenon. Stress at work

has detrimental effect on the behaviour of the people, which results in personal

and organisational inefficiency. Job stress can be described as a condition

where job related factors interact with the worker to change her psychological

and physiological conditions, so that the person’s mind and/or body is forced

to deviate from its normal way of functioning.1 The phenomenon of stress is

highly individualistic in nature. Each individual under her optimum level of

stress will perform to full capacity. If the individual experiences the stress

below the optimum level, then she gets bored. Motivational level to work

1. T.A. Beehr, and J.E. Newman, “Job stress, Employee Health and Organisational Effectiveness: A Facet Analysis”, Model and Literature Review, Personnel Psychology, Volume 31, 1978, pp.665-699.

2

reaches a low point and apathy sets in, and the individual withdraws from the

work psychologically and physiologically. While too little stress in an

individual’s life is stunting, too much stress can be damaging. It is apparent

that the health consequences of stress can be numerous, when health is taken in

its broader meaning as ‘complete physical mental and social well-being and not

merely the absence of disease’2

The modern world which is said to be a world of technological

advancement is also a world of stress due to the increasing competition among

nations, regions and enterprises on a global scale. The enterprises have to

update their knowledge and skill in information technology on the one hand

and enhance flexible responses to market change on the other. The option for

the growth, survival and stay ahead in business requires swift adaption to fast

changing customer request and circumstances. As a result managers and staff

are pressurized for technological achievements, profit motives and

productivity and sometimes traditional employment practices and contracts are

replaced by temporary workers and contract laborer.

Challenge, stress and strain have thus passed on the workforce at

large. Employees now have to face and cope with poor working conditions,

increased time pressure and long working hours due to narrowing deadlines

and increased work load, at the same time being aware that jobs are no longer

stable and the work is becoming precarious. Organizational stress has far

2. WHO, Constitution of the World Health Organisation, Geneva, Volume 73(1), 1948, pp.11-19.

3

reaching effect on physical and mental health, happiness and life satisfaction.

While stress at work will remain the major challenge to occupational health, the

ability to understand and manage the challenge is improving.3 Since last two

decades a number of empirical research studies on organizational stress have

been conducted to find the casual factors, consequences and coping techniques.

Social support is one of the major coping methods in work place today. The

moderating effect of social support on job stress-well being outcomes has been

identified by many researchers.4

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

In India, private sector women employees’ ratio has seen an

increase. Due to the nature of work in the industry and also the variety of roles

the women have to undertake in their household activities, the level of stress

may be more when compared with that of men. In private sector organization

various personnel are involved in a hierarchy, like lower level, middle level

and upper level. In the cadre also engulfed with extreme stressors. There is a

strong reason to believe that women employees working either in any

organization at any level face a lot of problems which lead to stress. It is said

that work cause stress and depression for women employees.

In India, job stress can affect women workers especially though

women find for easier access to education of all types today than in the past

3. A. Cox, T. Griffiths, E. Rial-Gonzales, Research on work-related Stress”. Luxembourg: European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, 2000.

4. A.P. Singh, and S. Rai, “Stress, Social Support and Well-being among Dual-Career Couples”, Stress Behaviour: The Coping Strategies, Volume 2, 2004, pp.221-251.

4

and relative freedom from gender bias in the matter of recruitment and

emoluments, they live under social conditions where traditional role

expectations in family and society have not much changed. Though women in

many families may be the breadwinners and actual providers, they are

expected to be more responsible for the maintenance part of the domestic

organization. Biologically, at a certain period of her life, women is more or less

committed to child-bearing and child-rearing, and she has other biological

conditions which make it difficult for her to support such familial and

professional demands adequately. Thus, inherently women are subject to

special problems as workers in any type of organization or profession. The

peculiar job conditions of private sector organization expose their women

workers to many special problems. If the health of these individuals and

concomitantly the health of the organizations for which they work are to be

maintained at the optimum level, those problems have to be fully probed and

analysed and understood. Hence, the researcher has undertaken this study on

the women employed by the private sector in Thoothukudi district, Tamil

Nadu. Fatigue is a common result of any employment.

Job stress is a phenomenon that goes far beyond this. Job stress is

a chronic disease caused by condition in the workplace that negatively affect an

individual’s performance and overall well-being of her body and mind.One or

more of a host of physical and mental illness manifests job stress. In some cases,

job stress can be disabling. In chronic cases, a psychiatric consultation is usually

5

required to validate the reason and degree of work related stress.5 This

phenomenon threatens the well being of an emerging industry that promises

much for the business earning for the country from foreign sources, and

promises a lot of employment opportunities with relatively high emoluments.

The glamorous aspects of the prospects naturally allure many young people,

and many of them may walk into the trap innocently.

The progress of a nation is limited to its productive capacity, which

in turn depends upon the caliber of private sector women employees. The

women employees system in particular are instruments to develop the human

capital as economic assets for wealth generation and also as social assets for

improving the quality of the life of the people. Women employees should

provide scope for understanding several major socio-economic changes

affecting the society that include global economic integration, national

economic reforms, changing demographic pattern, social norms favouring

women and weaker sections, increasing environmental consciousness,

changing family finances, demands of labour market and so on.

Occupational stress is a much talked phenomenon. However there is

little consensus between different professional groups regarding how to tackle

it. Based on a review of international research, it is concluded that women

employees occupational stress is a real phenomenon. However little is known

about the effects of reducing or mediating the impact of stressors. Actually

5. N. Brindha and P. Palanivel, “Working Women and Stress”, Women’s Link, Volume 14, No.4, Oct-Dec, 2008, pp. 7-10.

6

there are a very few studies of effective interventions but none involving large

samples or long-term follow-up. For an individual any environment has a

certain degree of stress, though of varying duration. When stress is sustained

for a long period of time, the problem becomes significant. Since India is a

labour surplus economy; getting employment is a must for all not only for the

self but also for the betterment of the country. Entering into a wrong job and

hanging on to it for the obvious reason of making a living is quite common in

Indian economic scene. Such a situation only adds to the occupational stress.

The individuals entering into private sector organization field are

professionals. They enter into professions and then they professionalise

themselves and so they find themselves at loggerheads. Further, these

professions are structured in a way that a worker is simultaneously exposed to

both overload and acute time pressure. Generally people under stress express

their frustration through some common ways like excessive criticism of

government and management, and displaying inability to get along with

others. But, in the private sector such individual behaviour cannot be easily

identified as individual performance, cannot be quantitatively measured as

precisely as in teaching field. Symptoms of stress take a long time to erupt.

Once it erupts, it not only affects the concerned individual but also the co-

workers through strained interpersonal relations and ultimately affects the

people which form the very core for the success of private sector organization.

Hence occupational stress situations and their perceived impact on women

employees are taken up for the present study. The researcher has made an

7

attempt to study the occupational stress among the women employees in

Thoothukudi District.

1.3. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The following are the main objectives of the present study:

v To study the profile of the study area and theoretical framework of stress.

v To measure the assessment of personality related stress factors of women

employees.

v To study the level of stress management of the sample respondents and

their socio-economic factors.

v To analyse the personality related stress factors with respect to their socio-

economic factors.

v To offer suitable suggestions on the basis of the findings of the present

study.

1.4. REVIEW OF LITERATURE

Coping with work or occupational stress and the prevention of stress

related disease has increasingly becoming the focus of occupational health

specialists, organizations and industrial psychologists. Many authors for

example (Linden field & Vandenburg, 20006, Schelebusch, 20077, Sulton, 20008)

provide the important psychological and behavioural symptoms of stress

6. G.Lindenfield, and M.Vandenberg, “Positive Under Pressure: How to be Calm and Effective When the Heat is on London”, Thorsons, 2000.

7. L.Schlebusch, Mindshift: Stress Management and Your Health, Pietermaritzburg: University of Natal Press, 2000.

8. J. Sultone, Thrive on Stress. Oxford: How to Books Ltd. 2000.

8

namely: inability to laugh, feeling of loneliness, fearfulness, inability to

concentrate, suppressed anger and feelings of anxiety.

This study can be attributed to stress being truly an interdisciplinary

study. It has become part of medicine, psychology, anthropology, sociology

and the like. It has no clear cut boundaries. Consequently the problem of

review is very difficult. There are many studies. As much comparison between

different studies become very difficult. However the researcher has made an

attempt to present the major findings of the studies undertaken specially with

reference to occupational stress. A review of literature pertaining to the study

was made by the researcher. In this section some of the research finding has

reported by experts, research scholars, and professional in the field of study

have been presented.

1.4.1. STUDIES RELATED TO INDIA

Chakraborthy Krishna9 (1978), says that there is an unconscious fear

among all, including the women themselves, that to alter the traditional

arrangement, might change or even destroy the family and feminity. This is

because, the process of social change is ambiguous and offers women,

conflicting signals. Consequently, the decision, women make to seek an

occupation, is dependent upon their ability to cope with dual responsibilities,

domestic and occupational and to negotiate with their husbands and kin to

make an arrangement that satisfies the latter.

9. Chakraborthy, Krishna, The Conflicting Worlds of Working Mothers. Calcutta: Progressive Publisher, 1978.

9

Ahmad, Bharadwaj, and Narula10 (1985), assess stress levels among

30 executives from both the public and private sector, using an ORS scale to

measure the dimensions of role stress. Their study reveals significant

differences between public and private sector employees in three dimensions of

role stress—role isolation, role ambiguity, and self-role distance. The authors

also establish the insignificant effect of several background factors, such as age,

level of education, income, marital status, and work experience.

Bhandarkar, A. and Singh.P11 (1986), in their study on “managerial

stress; study in cyclical perspective” speak of the sources of stress and

manifestations between public and private sector executives. The results

established relationship between job pressures and stress. Positive relationship

between locus of control and stress also was found. Social support was found

to have very little direct influence on the perception of stress. Further the study

found that age, education and family size also were contributory factors to

stress. Between the public and private sector executives it was found that in

private sector locus of control was the strongest predictor of stress where as in

public sector it was job pressures that predicted stress.

Jha S.S12 (1988), in his study on “Job stress and employee strain in

Indian executives” explains the pattern of stress and strain in three work

10. S. Ahmad, A. Bharadwaj, and S. Narula, “A Study of Stress among Executives”, Journal of Personality and Clinical Studies, Volume 1, 1985, pp.47–50.

11. A. Bhandarkar, and P. Singh, “Managerial Stress: Study in Cyclinical Perspective”, Journal of Management, Volume16, No.1, 1986, pp.25-59.

12. S.S. Jha, “Job Stress and Employee Strain in Indian Executives”, Work and Stress, Volume 2, 1988, pp.233-237.

10

groups namely production, personnel and data processing divisions in an

organization. Results indicated that job future ambiguity had negative effect on

job satisfaction in all the three groups. The pattern of stress in the three groups

was different among different levels of management. Among different levels of

managers, the middle levels of managers had more role ambiguity than others

did.

Dhillon, P.K13(1991), in his study on “Moderators effects on the

occupational stress-job satisfaction relationship” explains the effect of

occupational stress on job satisfaction. The moderating effects of age,

education, and hierarchical level were also examined. It was found that role

overload, role ambiguity, role conflict, responsibility for persons and

unprofitability had significant negative relationship to job satisfaction. Other

factors like unreasonable group and political pressure , under participation,

powerlessness, poor peer relation, intrinsic impoverishment, low status and

strenuous working conditions did not have any relationship to job satisfaction.

Moderating effects of age, education and hierarchical levels were found

between some of the stressors and job satisfaction.

Singh, A.D and Nath, K.14 (1991), in their study on “Effects of

Organisational Climate, Role Stress and Locus of Control on Job Involvement

of Banking Personnel” explained the impact of ten job stressors on outcomes

13. P.K. Dhillon, “Moderator Effects on the Occupational Stress – Job Satisfaction Relationship”, Productivity, Volume 31, No.4, 1991, pp.584-589.

14. A.D. Singh, and K. Nath, “Effects of Organizational Climate, Role Stress and Locus of Control on Job Involvement of Banking Personnel”, Indian Journal of Industrial Relations, Volume 27, No.2, 1991, pp. 63-76.

11

like frustration, physical strain, alienation and intent to quit. Among the

stressors experience of inequity, role conflict, job requirement, capability

mismatch and role overload significantly influenced all the outcomes. Lack of

leadership support, job difficulty and inadequacy of role authority had no

influence on any of the outcomes.

Rajeshwari, T.R15 (1992), found significant negative relationship

between age and stress and also between experience and stress. This study also

found negative correlation between number of members in the family and

stress. The level of stress did not differ between different levels of workers

namely officers and clerks.

Barnes, B.L.,16 (1992), in his study on “Stress aviation personnel”

reveals that aviation personnel were tested in different indices to evaluate their

health status and adjustments to occupational stressors. It was found that work

load was related to stress. Also higher responsibility resulted in higher anxiety

levels. Further those who had greater experiences of life changes reported more

adaptation to stress. Also those with feelings of stagnation at the job, as well as

internal and departmental politics and discrimination showed greater

frustration.

15. T.R.Rajeshwari, “Employee stress: A Study with Reference to Bank Employees”, Indian Journal of Industrial Relations, Volume 27, No.4, 1992 pp.419-429.

16. B.L. Barnes, “Stress in Aviation Personnel”, Psychological Studies, Volume 37 No.1, 1992, pp.1-6.

12

J. Rama Joshi17 (1993), has studied the “Gender differences in the

determinants of job performance: The sample consisted of 48 women and 27

male workers”. The questionnaire used in the study included seven sections

viz., demographic characteristics, motivation of workers, work values,

perceptions of the company, its policies and practices, supervision and

management, expectations from work, satisfaction with aspects of the job,

commitment to the organization and performance on the job. Two kinds of

analyses were done namely ‘t’ test and multiple regression analysis. The results

indicated: some similarities well as some critical differences in the determinant

of job performance of both the sexes. Factors extrinsic to the job had impact on

job performance of both the groups but more so in the case of female workers.

The negative impact of such off-the-job problems was set off by their higher

satisfaction with the firm.

R.A. Sharma and RabinarayanSamantara18 (1995), have studied

about “conflict management in an Indian firm”. The aim of the study was to fill

the gaps and to resolve the inconsistencies in research findings and also to

examine whether the research findings obtained in the foreign settings are

valid in the Indian conditions. Two sets of variables have been examined in the

present study–conflict management strategies and organizational effectiveness.

The sample consisted of 50 managers of a computer manufacturing

17. J. Rama Joshi, “Gender Differences in Determinants of Job Performance”, Indian Journal of Industrial Relations, Volume 28, No.3, April 1993, pp.238-247.

18. R.A. Sarma, and RabinarayanSamantra, “Conflict management in an Indian firm”, Indian Journal of Industrial Relations, Volume 30, No.4 April 1995, pp.439-453.

13

organization. The instruments used in the study included conflict management

Scale (Sayeed and Mathur, 1981) and organizational effectiveness scale (Mott,

1972). Statistical calculations such as mean, standard deviation, correlation and

multiple regression analysis were made. The major findings were: the conflict

resolution behavior of the managers is characterized by a predominant use of

smoothing, accommodating, confrontation and compromising modes together

with occasional or frequent use of forcing and withdrawing. The conflict

management strategies tended to relate much more systematically with the

flexibility and productivity aspects of effectiveness than with adaptability.

Singh, A.K. and Sehgal, V.19 (1995), in their study on “Men and

women in transition: patterns of stress, strain and social relations” highlight the

patterns of stress and strain among men and women as well as single and dual

career couples. They found that male and female managers did not differ

significantly on various stress dimensions. Difference in gender was however

found in strains women were characterized by anxiety, whereas men exhibited

more symptoms of somatic problems comparing the single and dual career

couples. It was found that male managers with spouses working experience

higher work load than managers whose spouse were not working. When it

comes to strains also single career male managers had better psychological and

physiological well-being than others. Working women managers had better

19. A.K. Singh. and P. Sehgal, “Men and women in transition: Patterns of stress, strain and social relations”, Vikalpa, volume 20, No.1,1995,pp.13-22.

14

physical well-being than their working spouses but had poorer psychological

well-being.

Berhem, et al.,20 (2004), in their study on “A new model for work

stress patterns” describe that the role of ambiguity as the main source of work

stress and self-knowledge as the main coping strategy to overcome work stress.

Work stress is believed to be one of the most important factors affecting

productivity.

Avinashkumar and Srivastav21 (2006), in his study on “coping with

stress in organizational Roles” explains dominant coping strategies and back

up coping strategy in individual and organization. Measurement of coping

strategies in the organization using role projective instrument can be very

useful for the individual and his organization. The results showed that

dominant coping strategy is the most frequently used style by the individual

which is most likely to be practiced under normal circumstances and back up

coping strategy is under pressure.

1.4.2. STUDIES RELATED TO FOREIGN COUNTRIES

Lewig and Dollard22 (2001), find that public sector employees are

subject to greater work-related stress than private sector employees. Dollard

and Walsh (1999), however, report that private sector workers in Queensland,

20. Berham, Belal, MdSidin, Samsinar and Syed Kadir, “A New Model for Work Stress Patterns”, Asian Academy of Management Journal, Volume 9, No. 1, 2004, pp: 53-77.

21. Avinash Kumar and Srivastav, “Coping with Stress in Organisational Roles”, Indian Journal of

Industrial Relations, Volume 42, No. 1, 2006, pp.110-128.

22. K.A. Lewig, and M.F. Dollard, “Social Construction of Work Stress: Australian Newsprint Media Portrayal of Stress at Work”, Work and Stress, Volume 15 No.2, 2001, pp.179–190.

15

Australia, had made twice as many stress claims as public sector workers.

Macklin et al. (2006) survey 84 public and 143 private sector employees to

assess any significant difference in their stress levels. They conclude that there

is no significant difference between employees on the basis of sector, but that

there is a significant difference between genders, i.e., female employees are

subject to greater stress than males.

D’Aleo, et al.,23 (2007), examine a sample of 559 public and 105

private sector employees to assess their respective risk profiles. They find that

public sector employees face more stress than private sector employees. Malik

(2011) collects data on 200 bank employees in Quetta, Pakistan, of which 100

work in public sector banks and the remaining 100 in private sector banks. The

author finds that there is a significant difference in the level of stress to which

both groups are subject, and that public sector bank employees face a high level

of occupational stress.

According to Budden, et al.,24 (2007), many individuals intend to

exercise, but fail to link this intention to behavior. The study examined the

impact of an implementation intention intervention (i.e., instructions to form

specific if-then plans) on an exercise intention-behavior relationship among

working adults who varied in reported occupational stress levels. Results

23. N. D’Aleo, P. Stebbins, R. Lowe, D. Lees, and D. Ham, “Managing Workplace Stress: Psychosocial Hazard Risk Profiles in Public and Private Sector”, Australian Journal of Rehabilitation Counselling, Volume13 No. 2, 2007, pp.68–87.

24. S. Budden, Jill, Sagarin, J. Brad, “Implementation Intentions, Occupational Stress, and the Exercise Intention-Behavior Relationship”, Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, Volume 12, No. 4, October 2007, pp.391-401.

16

indicated that implementation intentions backfired, such that participants who

did not form an implementation intention exercised significantly more than

participants who formed an implementation intention.

According to Collins, Stewart25 (2008), many pieces of research have

been undertaken in recent years that consider stress in statutory social work.

The research has tended, inevitably, to focus on negatives in social workers'

lives, by considering dissatisfaction with the job, absences from work and other

physical, psychological and behavioral symptoms of stress. Little attention has

been given in the studies of stress and social work to expanding on the

positives of social work, the rewards involved, high job satisfaction, the

importance of how workers cope with the job, the contribution of supervision,

personal and group support at work and home, alongside the positive well-

being of many individual social workers. This article highlights the satisfaction

social workers feel about their work, considers healthy and unhealthy coping

strategies that are, and might be, used, gender differences and the importance

of various forms of support from within the work setting, especially mutual

group support, accompanied by individual differences linked to good self-

esteem, personal hardiness and resilience.

25. Collins, Stewart, “Statutory Social Workers: Stress, Job Satisfaction, Coping, Social Support and Individual Differences”, British Journal of Social Work, Volume 28, No.6, September 2008, pp.1173-1193.

17

According to Kawano26 (2008), the present study examined degrees

of job-related stress factors as well as mental and physical symptoms among

Japanese hospital nurses in various departments, and clarified associations of

departments and job-related stress factors with those symptoms. A self-

administered questionnaire was distributed to 1,882 full-time nurses at four

acute care hospitals in Japan. The survey included demographic factors, and

the Brief Job Stress Questionnaire. Among 1,599 nurses who completed all

items relevant to the study, data from 1,551 female nurses were analysed. The

results show that working in operating rooms was associated with fatigue, that

working in intensive care units (ICU) was associated with anxiety, and that

working in surgery and internal medicine was associated with anxiety and

depression independently of demographic factors and job-related stress factors.

The physical and mental health of nurses might affect their time off, quality of

nursing care and patient satisfaction in acute care hospitals. Therefore, job-

related stress factors should be minimized, to improve the physical and mental

health of nurses, considering unique departmental demands.

According to Michael, et al.,27 (2009), Studies investigating gender

differences over the past two decades have produced contradictory results,

with some to indicate no differences, and some suggesting that either men or

26. Kawano, Yuri , “Association of Job-Related Stress Factors with Psychological and Somatic Symptoms among Japanese Hospital Nurses: Effect of Departmental Environment in Acute Care Hospitals”, Journal of Occupational Health, Volume 50, No. 1, January 2008,pp.79-85.

27. Michael, Galanakis, Anastasios, Stalikas, Helen, Kallia, Catherine, Karagianni Christine, “Gender Differences in Experiencing Occupational Stress: The Role of Age, Education and Marital Status”, Stress and Health, December 2009, Volume 25, No. 5, pp.397-404.

18

women experience more psychological stress. In this study, gender differences

were examined in occupational stress, taking into consideration the role of

marital status, age and education. Results from a sample of 2775 professionals

suggest that women experience higher levels of occupational stress than men.

Nevertheless, when marital status, age and education were introduced in the

equation, no significant gender differences were identified. Implications and

future research directions are discussed.

According to Avey, et al.,28 (2009), Workplace stress is a growing

concern for human resource managers. Although considerable scholarly and

practical attention has been devoted to stress management over the years, the

time has come for new perspectives and research. Drawing from the emerging

field of positive organizational behavior, the study offers research findings

with implications for combating occupational stress. Specifically, data from a

large sample of working adults across a variety of industries suggest that

psychological capital (the positive resources of efficacy, hope, optimism, and

resilience) may be key to better understanding the variation in perceived

symptoms of stress, as well as intentions to quit and job search behaviors. The

article concludes with practical strategies aimed at leveraging and developing

employees' psychological capital to help them better cope with workplace

stress.

28. Avey, B.James, Luthans, Fred, Jensen, M. Susan, “Psychological Capital: A Positive Resource for Combating Employee Stress and Turnover”, Human Resource Management, Volume 48, No.5, September-October 2009, pp. 677-693.

19

According to Lazuras, et al.,29(2009), the study examined four

potential roles of work-related negative affectivity on the associations between

self-reported occupational stress and physical well-being among

telecommunication employees in Greece. Participants (764, predominantly

male) completed a battery of self-report measures on perceived occupational

stress, negative affectivity, and illness symptoms. In line with previous

research, negative affectivity exerted a nuisance effect, by inflating the

association between reported stressors and illness symptoms, and significantly

predicted illness symptoms, over and above the effects of stressors. In addition,

negative affectivity influenced reported illness symptom indirectly, through the

effects of stressors, and moderated the relationship between interpersonal

conflict at work and illness symptoms. The findings suggest that negative

affectivity can largely explain and influence in different ways the associations

between self-reported stress and physical strain. it is recommended that future

studies of occupational stress should control for the effects of negative

affectivity, and that health professionals should be cautious of its effects when

interpreting relationships between self-reported occupational stress and

physical well-being.

29. Lazuras, Lambros, Rodafinos, Angelos, Matsiggos, Georgios,Stamatoulakis, Alexander, “Perceived Occupational Stress, Affective, and Physical Well-being among Telecommunication Employees in Greece”, Social Science and Medicine, Volume 68, No. 6, March 2009, pp. 1075-1081.

20

According to Wu, et al.,30 (2010), the study conducted explored

factors associated with occupational stress among female hospital nurses in

China. Nursing is a highly stressful occupation, and high levels of occupational

stress are believed to affect the physical and mental health of nurses.

Occupational stress among nurses is the result of exposure to a combination of

working environment and personal factors. A cross-sectional study was

conducted in 2008. The study population consisted of 2613 female nurses from

20 hospitals in the Liaoning province of China. Occupational stress was

measured by questionnaires that included the Chinese version of Personal

Strain Questionnaire, and data were collected on respondents' demographics,

working situations, occupational roles, and personal resources. Of the nurses

solicited for enrolment in the study, 79 center dot 2percent returned the

completed questionnaire. A general linear regression model was applied to

analyze the factors associated with occupational stress. Mean Personal Strain

Questionnaire score was 86 center dots 9, and this score was correlated, in

descending order of standardized estimate, with role boundary, role

insufficiency, responsibility, social support, self-care, nurse-patient

relationship, chronic disease, role overload, rational coping and night shift.

Role boundary and role insufficiency were the factors that had the highest

association with occupational stress. Occupational health education and

30. Wu, Hui, Chi, Tie-Shuang, Chen, Li, Wang, Lie, Jin, Ya-Ping, “Occupational Stress among Hospital Nurses: Cross-Sectional Survey” , Journal of Advanced Nursing ,Volume 66, No. 3, March 2010, pp.627-634.

21

occupational training programs may be necessary to improve the knowledge

and ability of nurses to cope with job demands and reduce occupational stress.

According to Wickramasinghe, et al.,31 (2010), the paper examined

the moderating effect of coping strategies on the relationship between work-

related dimensions (i.e. work routinization, role clarity, relationships with

others and promotional opportunity) and job stress. For the study, a

convenience sample of 385 white-collar employees, full-time employed in

various types of private sector organizations, belong to different industries and

ranked at different levels within the organizations responded. The factor

analysis led to identify four broad coping strategies that individuals use,

namely, individual positive coping, workplace initiatives, workplace informal

support and individual destructive coping. It was found that both individual

positive coping and workplace initiatives moderate the relationship between

'relationships with others' and job stress. However, none of the coping

strategies have moderated the relationship between job stress and the other

three work-related dimensions.

According to Sun, et al.,32 (2011), Aviation ground crews play a very

important role in air transportation. Not only does their work pressure affect

individual health and organizational efficiency, but aviation safety. The aim of

31. Wickramasinghe, Vathsala, “Work-related Dimensions and Job Stress: The Moderating Effect of Coping Strategies”, Stress and Health, Volume 26, No.5, December 2010, pp.417-429.

32. Sun, Kuo-Shun Chiou, Hawjeng “Aviation Ground Crews: Occupational Stresses and Work Performance”, African Journal of Business Management, Volume 5, April 2011, pp. 2865 – 2873.

22

this study is to explore the relationship between various sources of

occupational stress and work performance. In this study, the connection among

a variety of occupational stress, coping strategies and work performance was

also explored, using the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The result of the

analysis exhibited that occupational stress had a negative impact on work

performance, and the coping strategies were the mediator survivals between

occupational stress and work performance. The findings of the study argued

that we can have a better understanding of the characteristic of aviation ground

crews and the causal relationship between occupational stress and work

performance, and the proposed model can be beneficial to improve the

practices of human resources management and the policies of relevant aviation

industries.

According to O'Neill, et al.,33 (2011), Employee stress is a significant

issue in the hospitality industry, and it is costly for employers and employees

alike. Although addressing and reducing stress is both a noble goal and is

capable of resulting in expense reductions for employers, the nature and

quantity of hospitality employee stress is not fully understood. The first aim of

this study was to identify common work stressors in a sample of 164

managerial and hourly workers employed at 65 different hotels who were each

interviewed for eight consecutive days. The two most common stressors were

interpersonal tensions at work and overloads (e.g., technology not functioning).

33. O'Neill, W.John, Davis, Kelly, “Work stress and well-being in the hotel industry”, International Journal of Hospitality Management, Volume 30, No. 2, June 2011, pp.385-390.

23

The second aim was to determine whether there were differences in the types

and frequency of work stressors by job type (i.e., managers versus non-

managers), gender, and marital status. Hotel managers reported significantly

more stressors than hourly employees. There were no significant differences by

gender or marital status. The third aim was to investigate whether the various

stressors were linked to hotel employee health and work outcomes. More

employee and coworker stressors were linked to more negative physical health

symptoms. Also, interpersonal tensions at work were linked to lower job

satisfaction and greater turnover intentions.

According To Wu, Yu-Chi,34 (2011), Prior empirical research

findings regarding the relationship between job stress and job performance are

inconsistent. It was argued in this study that one reason for these inconsistent

results may be an existing moderating effect. Stress does not always result

directly from the source of pressure itself, but rather from the perception of that

pressure. Therefore, individual difference variables (e.g., emotional

intelligence) that might relate to that perception should also be considered. The

effects of emotional intelligence on the relationship between job stress and job

performance were investigated with a sample of employees in the Taiwanese

finance sector. The results indicated that emotional intelligence had a positive

impact on job performance and moderated this relationship. In this respect,

highly emotionally intelligent employees are more likely than are low

34. Wu, Yu-Chi, “Job Stress and Job Performance among Employees on the Taiwanese Finance Sector: The Role of Emotional Intelligence”, Social Behavior and Personality, Volume 39, No. 1, 2011, pp.21-31.

24

emotional intelligence employees to be able to reduce or transform the

potential negative effects of job stress on job performance. The results of this

study clarify knowledge of stress effects and, thus, the usefulness of stress

management practices can be improved and enhanced.

From the review of literature, it is found that there are many surveys

and studies on sources of stress in a particular sector but not as a whole. There

is no separate study on stress management of women employees in private

sector. Hence, in this study, in addition to the analysis of sources of stress, an

attempt is also made to measure women employees’ stress in private sector.

1.5. SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The present study is confined to the prevalence of stress among the

women employees in private sector in Thoothukudi district only, even though

private sector is spread all over India. Further the study is mainly undertaken

from the view point of the women employees, even both men and women are

working in private sector. However data pertaining to the level of stress were

collected from the women employees of private sector concerned. The study is

limited to identify the occupational stress situation and perceived behavior

under such situations and also to assess the outcome of stress in private sector.

The study is confined to the analysis of occupational stress factors among such

women employees.

25

1.6. IMPORTANCE OF THE STUDY

This study assumes importance, because of the following reasons:

This study aims at identifying stressors in the workplace, which will

help management to remove or reduce them, thus ensuring increased efficiency

at the work place and general well-being of the individual. Secondly, the study

of individual characteristics in the stress process will necessarily throw light on

which type of individuals experience more stress. The identification of these

differences will help in training employees to modify their behavior, which will

help them to face stress in a better way. The results also will help in identifying

the type of training programs to be given to employees. Thirdly, in spite of

availability of scales to measure stress in the workplace, none take into account

the whole of the job. Some of them are too general or too myopic. Still others

are so medical or psychological in orientation that their use in organizations

may not be feasible. The scale that has been developed in this study used a

quite comprehensive topology of stress dimensions taking into account of all

the elements of the work of women employees in private sector.

1.7. NULL HYPOTHESES

The following are null hypotheses framed in the present study.

v The level of personality related stress management of private sector

women employees is independent of age.


women employees is independent of education.

26


women employees is independent of marital status.


women employees is independent of type of family.


women employees is independent of number of dependents.


women employees is independent of monthly income.

v There is no significant difference among the mean scores of personality

related stress factors such as Job Culture and Climate, Health Outcomes,

Workload, Safe and Healthy Working Conditions, Family, Conditions and

Rewards, Operating Policies, Opportunity for Growth and Development,

Infrastructure, Supervision, Personal Conflict, Innovations and Changing

Development, Benefits and in total of private sector women employees

with respect to their age.







with respect to their educational qualification.

27

v There is no significant difference between the mean scores of personality






with respect to their marital status.

v There is no significant difference between the mean scores of personality






with respect to their nature of family.







with respect to number of dependents.



28





with respect to monthly income.

1.8. DEFINITION OF CONCEPTS

1.8.1. PRIVATE SECTOR

The private sector undertakings are individuals or companies of

profit making. The private sector encompasses all for-profit businesses that are

not owned or operated by the government. Companies and corporations that

are run by government are the part of what is known as the public sector, while

charities and other nonprofit organizations are part of the voluntary sector.

Moreover the part of national economy is made up of private enterprises. It

includes private schools and colleges, hospitals, supermarket, textile

showrooms, jewellery mart, financial institutions, corporate sector, private

banking sector and private insurance sector, the personal sector (households)

and corporate sector (companies), and is responsible for allocating most of the

resources within an economy.

1.8.2. ORGANIZATIONAL CLIMATE

Properties of the business environment in a workplace observed by a

staff strongly influence their actions and job performance. For example, a

perceptive business manager might take the trouble to survey employees about

29

the organizational climate to identify and promote those aspects that are most

conducive to achieving corporate objectives.

1.8.3. SELF ESTEEM

Self-esteem is a term used in psychology to reflect a person's overall

emotional evaluation of his or her own worth. It is a judgment of oneself as

well as an attitude toward the self. Self-esteem encompasses beliefs and

emotions such as triumph, despair, pride and shame. Smith and Mackie define

it by saying "The self-concept is what we think about the self; self-esteem is the

positive or negative evaluations of the self, as in how we feel about it." Self-

esteem is also known as the evaluative dimension of the self that includes

feelings of worthiness, prides and discouragement. One's self-esteem is also

closely associated with self-consciousness.

1.8.4. STRESS

Stress is a term that is commonly used today, but has become

increasingly difficult to define. It shares, to some extent, common meanings in

both the biological and psychological sciences. Stress typically describes a

negative concept that can have an impact on one’s mental and physical well-

being, but it is unclear what exactly defines stress and whether or not stress is a

cause, an effect, or the process connecting the two. With organisms as complex

as humans, stress can take on entirely concrete or abstract meanings with

30

highly subjective qualities, satisfying definitions of both cause and effect in

ways that can be both tangible and intangible."35

1.8.4.1. Hyper Stress

This is another form of negative stress that occurs when the

individuals is unable to cope with the workload. Examples include highly

stressful jobs, which require longer working hours than the individual can

handle. If we suspect that we are suffering from hyper stress, we are likely to

have sudden emotional breakdowns over insignificant issues, the proverbial

straws that broke the cannel’s back. It is important to recognize that our body

needs a break, or we may feel end up with severe and chronic physical and

psychological reactions.

1.8.4.2. Hypo Stress

Hypo stress occurs when a person has nothing to do with his time

and feels constantly bored and unmotivated. This is due to an insufficient

amount of stress; hence some stress is inevitable and helpful to us. Companies

should avoid having workers who experience hypo stress as this will cause

productivity and mindfulness to fall. The job scope is boring and respective. It

would be a good idea to implement some form of job rotation so that there is

always something new to learn. The type of stress is named as eustress and

distress. Distress is the most commonly referred to type of stress, having

negative implications, whereas eustress is a positive form of stress usually

35. R.M.K. Keil, “Coping and stress: A conceptual analysis”, Journal of Advanced Nursing, Volume 45, No. 6, 2004, pp.659–665.

31

related to desirable events in person’s life. Both can be equally taxing on the

body, and are cumulative in nature, depending on a person’s way of adapting

to a change that has caused it.

1.8.5. CONTROL

Controlling is one of the managerial functions like planning,

organizing, staffing and directing. It is an important function because it helps

to check the errors and to take the corrective action so that deviation from

standards are minimized and stated goals of the organization are achieved in a

desired manner. According to modern concepts, control is a foreseeing action

whereas earlier concept of control was used only when errors were detected.

Control in management means setting standards, measuring actual

performance and taking corrective action.

1.8.6. WORKLOAD

Workload generally means the amount of work people have to or

are expected to complete. However workload is not just about the sheer

amount of work it may also mean: How difficult the work is – difficulty is

influenced by many factors including the skill level of staff. How much the

amount of workload varies (i.e. busy and quiet periods). The extent to which

staff have control over their workload and the way they choose to carry out

their work. The length of time for which staff have worked at an intense rate

without any breaks. Also, the nature of workload varies from job to job and it is

worth being aware of the special features of the workload experienced by those

people you manage. For example, some jobs may be repetitive, others may

32

require dealing with people, and others require staff to constantly undertake

new and unfamiliar tasks. Each of these features needs to be considered when

thinking about the kinds of steps you can take to help prevent and resolve

workload problems.36

1.8.7. ROLE AMBIGUITY

Role Ambiguity - norms for a specific position are vague, unclear

and ill-defined. Actors disagree on role expectations, not because there is role

conflict but because role expectations are unclear. Examples: job descriptions,

clinical objectives.37

1.8.8. ROLE CONFLICT

"Role conflict is a conflict among the roles corresponding to two or

more statuses." We experience role conflict when we find ourselves pulled in

various directions as we try to respond to the many statuses we hold.38

Conflict among the roles begins because of the human's desire to reach success,

and because of the pressure put on an individual by two imposing and

incompatible demands competing against each other. The effects of role

conflict, as found through case-studies and nationwide surveys, are related to

individual personality characteristics and interpersonal relations.39

36. Ronny Lardner Chiara Amati, Rob Briner, “Stress management standards for workload”, Edinburgh, pp.2

37. http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_role_ambiguity#ixzz1urFDYOCt

38. Macionis, Gerber, John, Linda, Sociology 7th Canadian Ed. Toronto, Ontario: Pearson Canada Inc. 2010. pp. 129.

39. R.L.Kahn, D.M.Wolfe, R.P.Quinn, J.D.Snoek, and R.A. Rosenthal "Orginizational stress: studies in role conflict and ambiguity", APA Psychnet. 2010.

33

1.8.8.1. Interpersonal Conflict

Interpersonal role conflict occurs when the source of the dilemma

stems from occupancy of more than one focal position. For example, as a

husband and a father in a social system a superintendent may think his wife

and children expect him to spend most of his evenings with them. However,

his school board, he may feel, expect him (as their school superintendent) to

spend most of his after-office hours on educational and civic activities. The

superintendent usually cannot satisfy both of these incompatible expectations.

1.8.8.2. Intra Personal Conflict

Intra-personal role conflict occurs when an individual in one role

believes that others have many different expectations for him/her in regards to

that role. "The school superintendent, for example, may feel that the teachers

expect him to be their spokesperson and leader, to take their side on such

matters as salary increases and institutional policy. However, the

superintendent may feel that the school board members expect him to

represent them, to "sell" their views to the staff because he is the executive

officer and the administrator of school board policies".40

1.8.9. DEPRESSION

Depression is the mental state of excessive sadness characterized by

persistently low mood or extensive loss of pleasure and interest. To be

considered a clinical condition, depression symptoms must have duration of at

40. B.A. Mackey, “Application of role conflict theory to the role expectations held for the dean of students by various reference groups”, Doctoral Dissertation, University of Florida, 1977.

34

least two weeks and include: decreases or sometimes increases in weight,

agitated or sluggish activity, and disturbance in sleep, appetite, and

concentration.

1.8.10. ANXIETY

Anxiety is an unpleasant state of inner turmoil and apprehension,

often accompanied by nervous behavior, such as pacing back and forth,

somatic complaints and rumination. It is the subjectively unpleasant feelings of

dread over something unlikely to happen, such as the feeling of imminent

death. Anxiety is feeling unrealistic fear, worry, and uneasiness, usually

generalized and unfocused. It is often accompanied by restlessness, fatigue,

problems in concentration, and muscular tension. Anxiety is not considered to

be a normal reaction to a perceived stressor although many feel it occasionally.

When anxiety becomes overwhelming and distressing to the sufferer, it may

fall under the psychiatric diagnosis of anxiety disorder. Anxiety is not the same

as fear. Fear is evoked by a realistic danger and is an appropriate response to a

perceived threat, while anxiety is worry or overreaction to a situation that is

only subjectively seen as menacing. Anxiety is the sense of uneasiness that is

experienced in the individual’s relationships with other people. In any situation

where the person’s vanity is undermined, fear arises. The conjunction of this

fear with the vanity creates anxiety.

Anxiety = Fear + Vanity

35

1.9. METHODOLOGY

This Section exhibits the methodology which includes the collection

of data, construction of structured questionnaire, sampling design, fieldwork

and the framework of analysis.

1.9.1. COLLECTION OF DATA

The present study is mainly based on both primary data and

secondary data. Personal interview method is used to collect the primary data

with the help of questionnaire. The secondary data have been collected from

standard books, journals, and websites.

1.9.2. CONSTRUCTION OF QUESTIONNAIRE

The instrument used for the study was a structured questionnaire. It

compresses into two sections. The first section relates to the demographic

factors and the second section consists of occupational stress scales.

Occupational stress scales were used for identifying the stress level. Altogether

thirteen factors are categorized like job culture and climate, health outcomes,

workload, safe and healthy working conditions, family, conditions and

rewards, operating policies, opportunity for growth and security,

infrastructure, supervision, personal conflicts, innovations and changing

development and benefits. The above factors are supported with ten statements

for answering by the sample respondents.

1.9.3. SAMPLING DESIGN

The researcher visited the respective office premises of the private

sector organization/institution. Permission was denied to meet the women

36

employees inside the office during working hours. The only alternative

available for the researcher was to meet the respondents when they come out of

the office. With hard difficulty the researcher could persuade 600 women

employees from different private sector organization/institution to get the

required information within the scheduled time frame. With a view to

analyzing the level of stress among women employees in private sector 600

women employees were selected as sample respondents. Adequate cares has

been taken to include the various types of women employees working in the

private sector as samples. The personal profile of the respondents shows that

the universe of study is represented by various backgrounds relating to age,

educational qualification, marital status, type of family, number of dependents,

and income of women employees. A pilot study was conducted with the help

of the questionnaire to test its contents and modifications were made on the

basis of the study. The researcher has collected primary data on the basis of the

following ways:

Table 1.1

Distribution of Sample Unit

S.No. Name of the Institution Sample size

1 Private Schools and Colleges (self-financing) 100

2 Private Hospitals 100

3 Super Market, Textiles Show Rooms and Jewellery Mart 100

4 Financial Institutions, Corporate Sectors 100

5 Private Banking Sector 100

6 Private Insurance Sector 100

Total 600

37

Now a-days private sector means not only corporate sector but also

other sectors like Educational Institutions, Hospitals, Super Markets, Textile

Show Rooms, Jewellery Marts, Financial Institutions, Companies, Banking

Sector and Insurance Sector. So stress may occur in any field, in any levels of

management and also in any circumstances. It depends upon the person as well

as the working environment. On the above basis, primary informations were

collected for analyzing the stress level of women employees. Stratified random

sampling is used. The sample respondents were randomly selected.

1.9.4. FIELD WORK

The researcher carried out the field work for this study during the

period from April 2012 to September 2012. Questionnaire was given to the

private sector women employees. Questionnaire was explained to the

respondents in detail for understanding the importance of the research.

Adequate time was given to the respondents to provide their opinions for the

questions in the questionnaire.

1.9.5. FRAME WORK OF ANALYSIS

The information collected from the sample respondents were

tabulated for analysis. Simple tables were prepared for understanding the

general profile of the respondents.

Simple Percentage Analysis

Simple percentage analysis refers to a ratio. With the help of

absolute figures it will be difficult to interpret any meaning from the collected

38

data, but when percentages are found out then it becomes easy to find the

relative difference between two or more attributes.

Percentage = sRespondent of No. Total

sRespondent of No.

The data have been analyzed by using various statistical tools like

percentage analysis, Likert’s scaling technique, chi-square test, analysis of

variance (ANOVA), weighted arithmetic mean and Garret’s ranking technique,

correlation, and the like. The collected data were analyzed with the help of

percentage analysis, to find out the conditions of descriptive statistics. The co-

efficient of variation was applied to get the extent of variations during the

study period. To measure the level of stress and the opinion of the sample

respondents the Likert’s five point scales was applied. Chi-square test was

applied to find out the relationship between demographic factors and the level

of stress. Garret’s ranking technique was used to rank the problems faced by

the sample respondents. Arithmetic mean was also used to measure the factors.

To analyse the personality stress factors with respect to their socio-economic

factor, ‘t’ test and ANOVA (‘F’ test) were applied.

Weighted Average Method

The weighted mean is a mean where there is some variation in the

relative contribution of individual data values to the mean. Each data value (Xi)

has a weight assigned to it (Wi). Data values with larger weights contribute

more to the weighted mean and data values with smaller weights contribute

less to the weighted mean. The formula of Weighted Average is

39

Weighted Average = sRespondent Total

)(Frequency x s)Respondent of (No.

S

Sor

i

ii

W

XW

S

S

There are several reasons why one might want to use a weighted

mean. Each individual data value might actually represent a value that is used

by multiple people in the sample. The weight then is the number of people

with that particular value. The sample might deliberately over represent certain

segments of the populations. To restore balance, one would place less weight

on the over represented segments of the population and more weight on the

less represented segments of the population. Some values in the data sample

might be known to be more variable (less precise) than other values. One

would place greater weight on those values known to have greater precision.

Likert Scaling

The level of attitude varies from one respondent to another. Attitude

cannot be measured directly in quantitative terms. Hence, the researcher has

used five point scale for measuring the level of attitude of the respondents in

Thoothukudi district.

Measurement of Attitude

The researcher has made an attempt to measure the extent of

attitude of the women employees towards occupational stress with the help of

an attitude scale. In the present study, 15 components have been identified to

measure the attitude of women employees towards occupational stress.

40

Level of Stress

The researcher has made use of the Likert scale to measure the

attitude of the respondents towards occupational stress. The Likert scale is one

of the most widely used attitude scaling technique. The score given to the

various degrees are as follows:

Strongly agree – 5, Agree – 4, No opinion – 3, Disagree – 2, strongly

disagree - 1

The total score of each respondent is obtained by adding scores that

has received for 15 statements. From the total score obtained by adding the

individual scores obtained by the 600 respondent’s, arithmetic mean and

standard deviation have been calculated. The different levels of attitude have

been calculated as follows:

High level attitude = Arithmetic Mean (+) Standard Deviation.

Low level attitude = Arithmetic Mean (-) Standard Deviation

Medium level attitude = scores varying between high level satisfaction and low

level satisfaction.

Relationship between Demographic Variables of the Women Employees and Level

of Stress

In this section an attempt is made to analyze the relationship

between women employees demographic background like age, education,

marital status, type of family, number of dependents, and monthly income and

their level of attitude by using chi-square test.

41

The chi-square test aims at comparing the observed data with the

expected data. The formula for the chi-square test is as follows:

c2 (r-1, c-1) = å-

-

ji ij

2

ijij

E

)EO(

where Oij – Observed value in the ijth cell

Eij – Expected value in the (ij)th cell.

R = number of rows in the contingency table.

C = number of columns in the contingency table.

On the assumption of independence of attributes,

Eij = N

)B)(A( ji

Where Ai = total of ith row

Bj = Total of jth column.

N = Total number of observations

If the calculated value is greater than the table value at a particular

confidence level (0.05 levels), the null hypothesis will be rejected. If the

calculated value is less than the table value at a particular confidence level (0.05

levels) the null hypothesis will be accepted.

Correlation

The Karl Pearson’s co-efficient of correlation is denoted by the

symbol “r”. Correlation measurement is used for describing the degree and

42

direction of the relation between two variables. The formula used for

measuring the degree of relationship between two variables is

r = ( )( )2222 )y(yN)x(xN

yxxyN

å-åå-å

åå-å

where N = Number of sample

x = Raw score for the first group

y = Raw score for the second group

The value of the coefficient of correlation always lies between -1 and

+1. When r = +1, it means that there is perfect positive correlation between the

variables. When r =-1, it means that there is perfect negative correlation

between the variables. When r = 0, it means that there is no relationship

between the two variables.

Analysis of Variance

Analysis of variance was developed by R.A.Fisher and a test so

developed by him is known as the Fisher’s test or more commonly as F- test.

Now-a day, F-test is widely used in the analysis of variance. It is mainly used to

test the hypothesis of equality between two variances. This test is also used to

test the hypothesis of equality amongst several means. This test is particularly

suitable for experimental work, as no assumption of equality of variance is

required. The analysis of variance is mainly carried on under: (i) one-way

classification.

F = samples within Variance

samplesbetween Variance

43

Generally the variance between samples is greater than the variance

within samples. Sometimes, in rare cases, the variance within samples may be

greater than the variance between samples. In such cases the two variances

should be interchanged so that the value of F is always greater than one. This

can be achieved by taking the value of the numerator always greater than that

of the denominator. The ANOVA test is used to test whether there is any

significant difference between the demographic factors and the occupational

stress. This analysis is applied when the variables are in internal scale and the

numbers of groups in the sample are more than 29. In the present study, the

“F” statistics have been computed to find out the association between mean

agreeability scores on job factor & job culture and climate, health outcomes,

workload, safe and healthy working conditions, family, conditions and

rewards, operating policies, opportunity for growth and security,

infrastructure, supervision, personal conflict, innovations and changing

developments, benefits among women employees. Whenever ‘F’ is found to be

significant, Scheffe’s test was applied to find out which of the paired means

had significant difference.

Ranking Principle

“Henry’s Garrett ranking principle” has been applied to find out the

reasons for stress. The order of merit given by the respondents for the ten

statements is converted into ranks. For each reason, the scores of individual

respondents are added together and divided by the total number of

44

respondents. The mean scores for all the reasons are arranged in the

descending order and ranks are given in the order of importance.

1.10. LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

The study had to be conducted within a given time frame. The data

were collected only among the segment taken for study in a specific area-

Thoothukudi District. The results may vary if other segments are also

considered for the study or a different area is undertaken. Only the women

employees within the Thoothukudi District limits were considered.

Unmarried women employees are outnumbered. So they are not

differentiated.

Due to mental stress and workload, the respondents could not freely

express their feelings. As the employer did not permit the employees to answer

the questionnaire in the work place. Parents also do not permit their wards to

answer questions. Hence the researcher contacted the respondents only outside

their work place. The researcher has conducted the survey with the

respondents only during the travelling time from office to their residences and

vice versa. Furthermore, the time available is not adequate to persuade the

respondents to answer all the relevant questions after impressing upon the

importance of the research and sophisticating their co-operation to participate

in the research.

45

1.11 CHAPTER SCHEME

The study entitled “A Study on Stress Management of Private Sector

Women Employees in Thoothukudi District” has been organized in six

chapters.

The first chapter “Introduction and design of the study” comprises

Introduction, Statement of the problem, Objectives, Review of literature, Scope

of the study, Importance of the study, Hypotheses of the study, Definition of

concepts, Methodology, Collection of Data, Construction of Questionnaire,

Sampling design, Fieldwork, Framework of Analysis, Limitations of the study

and chapter scheme.

The second chapter exhibits detailed profile of the study area and

theoretical frame work of stress.

The third chapter elaborately deals with assessment of personality

related stress factors of private sector women employees.

The fourth chapter consists of descriptive analysis of socio-

economic factors and also deals with the level of stress factors and socio-

economic factors.

The fifth chapter analyses the personality related stress factors of

the sample respondents with respect to their socio-economic factors.

The sixth chapter is devoted to present the summary of findings,

suggestions and conclusion.

Documents

CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION AND DESIGN OF THE STUDYshodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/61497/6/06_chapter 1.pdf · it. Based on a review of international research, it is concluded