abstract: 'Although it is generally assumed that women engaged in paid work have

  better health than full-time homemakers, little is known about the

  situation in Southern European countries like Spain or about differences

  in the impact of family demands by employment status or the potential

  interaction with educational level. The objectives of this study are to

  analyse whether inequalities in health exist among housewives and

  employed women, and to assess whether the relationship between family

  demands and health differs by employment status. Additionally, for both

  objectives we examine the potential different patterns by educational

  level. The data have been taken from the 1994 Catalonian Health Survey

  (Spain). The sample was drawn from all women aged 25-64 years who were

  employed or full-time homemakers and married or cohabiting. Four health

  indicators (self-perceived health status, limiting long-standing

  illness, chronic conditions and mental health) and two health related

  behaviours (hours of sleeping and leisure-time physical activity) were

  analysed. Family demands were measured through household size, living

  with children under 15 and living with elderly. Overall, female workers

  had a better health status than housewives, although this pattern was

  more consistent for women of low educational level. Conversely, the

  health related behaviours analysed were less favourable for workers,

  mainly for those of low educational level. Among workers of low

  educational level, family demands showed a negative effect in most

  health indicators and health related behaviours, but had little or no

  negative association at all in workers of high educational level or in

  full-time homemakers. Moreover, among women of low educational level,

  both workers and housewives, living with elderly had showed a negative

  association with poor health status and health related behaviours. These

  results emphasise the need of considering the interaction between family

  demands, employment status and educational level in analysing the impact

  of family demands on women''s health as well as in designing family

  policies and programmes of women''s health promotion. (C) 2003 Elsevier

  Ltd. All rights reserved.'
affiliation: 'Artazcoz, L (Corresponding Author), Pl Lesseps 1, Barcelona 08023, Spain.

  Agencia Salut Publ Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.

  Univ Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain.

  Ctr Analisi \& Programes Sanit, Barcelona, Spain.'
author: Artazcoz, L and Borrell, C and Benach, J and Cortes, I and Rohlfs, I
author-email: lartazco@imsb.bcn.es
author_list:
- family: Artazcoz
  given: L
- family: Borrell
  given: C
- family: Benach
  given: J
- family: Cortes
  given: I
- family: Rohlfs
  given: I
da: '2023-09-28'
doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2003.10.029
files: []
issn: 0277-9536
journal: SOCIAL SCIENCE \& MEDICINE
keywords: women's health; family characteristics; inequalities; work; Spain
keywords-plus: 'LABOR-FORCE PARTICIPATION; SELF-RATED HEALTH; SOCIAL ROLES; MULTIPLE

  ROLES; PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS; PAID EMPLOYMENT; SEX-DIFFERENCES; GENDER;

  WORK; INEQUALITIES'
language: English
month: JUL
number: '2'
number-of-cited-references: '50'
orcid-numbers: 'Artazcoz, Lucía/0000-0002-6300-5111

  Benach, Joan/0000-0003-2285-742X

  Borrell, Carme/0000-0002-1170-2505'
pages: 263-274
papis_id: 954b0c13ddafb7f12fa5d2efd0bdd916
ref: Artazcoz2004womenfamily
researcherid-numbers: 'Rohlfs, Izabella/IVH-1894-2023

  Artazcoz, Lucía/G-9538-2017

  Benach, Joan/H-2519-2013

  '
times-cited: '115'
title: 'Women, family demands and health: the importance of employment status and
  socio-economic position'
type: article
unique-id: WOS:000221369600004
usage-count-last-180-days: '2'
usage-count-since-2013: '30'
volume: '59'
web-of-science-categories: 'Public, Environmental \& Occupational Health; Social Sciences,

  Biomedical'
year: '2004'