Working women and housewives: characteristics of their perception and evaluation of the quality of life

Straipsnyje pristatomi vieno pirmųjų Lietuvoje atlikto tyrimo, kuriuo siekta sugretinti dirbančių ir nedirbančių moterų gyvenimo kokybės vertinimus, rezultatai. Darbe taip pat nagrinėjama gyvenimo kokybės koncepcija ir jos vertinimo ypatumai. Straipsnio tikslas– remiantis mokslinėje literatūroje nustatytomis gyvenimo kokybės sudedamosiomis sritimis atlikti dviejų moterų grupių (dirbančių samdomą darbą ir namų šeimininkių) gyvenimo kokybės suvokimo ir vertinimo tyrimą. Siekiant palyginti minėtų moterų grupių gyvenimo kokybę, buvo atlikta anketinė apklausa, kurioje dalyvavo 430 įvairaus amžiaus ir išsilavinimo respondenčių. Apklausos duomenys buvo išanalizuoti naudojant SPSS 20.0 statistinių programų paketą. Buvo analizuoti Chi kvadrato (angl. Chi Square) rodikliai, taip pat neparametrinis Mann-Whitney bei Shapiro-Wilk testai. Nustatyti dirbančių moterų ir namų šeimininkių tam tikrų gyvenimo kokybės sričių statistiškai reikšmingi vertinimo skirtumai.The main aim of the paper is based on scientific literature and the authorial research of the perception and evaluation of the quality of life by two groups of women (working women and housewives). Research methods: a) the analysis of scientific literature; b) a survey. The survey data were analyzed by means of the SPSS 20.0 statistical software package, as well as Chi-square indicator and nonparametric Mann–Whitney and Shapiro-Wilk tests. The evaluation of the quality of life of Lithuanian working women and housewives was carried out by means of a questionnaire, based on the latest third European Quality of Life Questionnaire and the US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) life quality evaluation questionnaire. The analysis of the physical quality of life witnessed that more housewives than working women were satisfied with their health. A higher percentage of working women indicated that after sleep they got up fresh and rested, however, they also more often felt tired, could not properly carry out their work, and experienced more stress. The analysis of the material quality of life showed that a higher percentage of housewives than working women had lower incomes. Housewives and working women were equally satisfied with their homes. The respondents also assessed their financial situation which was similar to that of the majority of people in Lithuania. The analysis of self-expression and entertainment showed that both the working women and the housewives felt that they rarely had time to do what they really liked. The working women and the housewives stated that they had the same amounts of time for hobbies, interests, and entertainment. The findings of the study highlighted differences in the working women and housewives' assessments of their health, social relations, and education. However, working women and housewives had an optimistic view of their future and a similar feeling of their activities being meaningful. It proves that women's quality of life does not depend on their profession