FEMALES AND OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURES: REVIEW ARTICLE | ||||
| Egyptian Journal of Occupational Medicine | ||||
| Article 2, Volume 48, Issue 3, September 2024, Page 15-28 PDF (501.57 K) | ||||
| Document Type: Review article | ||||
| DOI: 10.21608/ejom.2024.246439.1320 | ||||
 View on SCiNiTO | ||||
| Author | ||||
Fouad MM  
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| Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Egypt. | ||||
| Abstract | ||||
| Introduction: Women and men may experience different outcomes when exposed to the same risks. It is common for people to mistakenly believe that work done by women is lighter, easier and safer than that taken by men and consequently obtained less attention. Men may have a higher rate of accidents and fatalities at work, and it is common for women to work in jobs that involve both physical challenge and repetitive tasks; examples include, social care, cleaning, agriculture, hotel work, food manufacturing, and domestic work, in addition to many other occupations. Realizing how gender differences can impact the risk of exposure to occupational hazards is a key aspect of developing effective injury as well as illness prevention strategies. Aim of the review: The aim of this review article was to study the occupational exposures in relation to female workers and the hazardous effects occurring due to these exposures, pointing to the risk factors related to these exposures for the female workers. Result: According to the review, there are differences in exposures to occupational hazards between men and women and the gender distribution of the labor force by occupation is not the sole cause of these differences. Male workers continue to face the enduring challenge of occupational exposure to dusts and chemicals, as well as engaging in specific physically demanding tasks. However, it should be noted that women workers had a significant prevalence for many of these occupational exposures. In contrast to their male counterparts, female workers exhibited a higher incidence of repetitive tasks, working at exceptionally high speeds , and exposure to specific agents such as disinfectants, hair dyes, and textile dust. Gender differences in exposure were in part explained by gender differences in occupational distribution, while for some exposures, differences in prevalence were even observed for men and women with the same occupation. Conclusion: Hence, gender significantly influences the prevalence of occupational exposure, emphasizing the importance of considering gender in occupational health research. | ||||
| Keywords | ||||
| Gender difference; Occupational exposures; Occupational hazard and Female workers | ||||
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