Workplace Stress and Coping Strategies: Exploring Lived Experiences of Emotional Expression and Work-Family Conflict among Sanitary Workers of Sargodha

Abstract

This qualitative research investigates the stress in the workplace, emotional expression, and work-family conflict among sanitary workers in terms of a gendered and structural context. The study is based on the Stress Process Model, Gender Role Theory, and Work-Family Conflict Theory and focuses on the overlap of occupational demands and family-related demands and coping strategies. The data were collected through in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 9 sanitary workers who were working in the urban municipal area of Sargodha. Thematic analysis showed that physically demanding work, job insecurity, low pay, and social stigma are factors that contribute to stress. The Gender norms had a great impact on emotional expression, where men were likely to conceal distress and women to express more emotional and domestic pressures. The tension between work and family increased the psychological pressure, especially to women. In spite of these difficulties, resilience was displayed by participants through peer support, religious faith, and adaptive coping. The paper indicates that gender-sensitive policy and structural reforms are needed to solve occupational health disparities.