Workplace stress and migrant women

Non English Speaking Background (NESB) women have long held a unique place in the Australian labour market compared to other groups, such as NESB men and Australian born women. They work longer hours than other women, receive lower pay, are over represented in manual, blue collar jobs in manufacturing and service industries and have been particularly affected by job losses in declining industries, such as textile, clothing and footwear (TCF). Long before the emergence of workplace stress as an issue for all occupational groups, many reports had acknowledged and documented the unusually difficult working conditions faced by many NESB women. So, in light of recent research on stress in the workplace, it is worth examining what this issue means for one of Australia's most disadvantaged workforce groups - NESB women. To do so, this article draws heavily on data reported in the ACTUs 1997 National OHS Survey on Stress at Work, launched in April 1998. These data are interpreted in the light of other research evidence on NESB women, forming a picture of how stress might be experienced by NESB women workers today