of working-age adults were estimated to have a mental disorder in 2019.
Evidence & Resources
Psychosocial health and work
Women’s health is not a psychosocial hazard. Harmful work conditions can still compound it.
Job demands, low control, poor support, poor organisational justice, bullying, harassment and conflict can create psychological harm around an already difficult health experience.
Health, healthcare and work are connected.
Global evidence snapshot
Scale, context and equity matter.
working days are lost to depression and anxiety each year.
of employed people report violence or harassment during their working life.
What the evidence says
Start with what is established.
01
The health evidence
Safe Work Australia identifies common psychosocial hazards including high demands, low control, poor support, poor justice, bullying, harassment and conflict.
02
The wider context
WHO recommends organisational interventions, manager training, worker training and supported return to work for mental health at work.
03
What matters
Psychological outcomes can arise from the interaction between health, healthcare uncertainty and workplace response.
Working-life lens
The impact can appear in more than absence.
01
Capacity and participation
Unpredictable symptoms can collide with rigid demands or punitive absence systems.
02
Systems and access
Dismissal, disbelief or bullying may increase anxiety, distress and self-doubt.
03
Trust and disclosure
A respectful response can protect trust even when every requested adjustment is not possible.
From evidence to practice
Support begins with a respectful, individual response.
01
Listen first
Identify and control psychosocial hazards through work design and systems.
02
Design practical support
Equip managers to respond without judgement and escalate appropriately.
03
Protect dignity
Separate health support from performance processes while still managing work fairly.
Women Working Well’s research purpose
What Women Working Well is seeking to understand.
Women Working Well exists to investigate the questions that remain unseen or unanswered: what is missing from the evidence, whose experiences are under-represented, and how women’s health, healthcare, working life and life beyond work connect. These topic-specific priorities help shape the Global Women and Work Study.
01
What is missing
Research must avoid framing women’s bodies as hazards.
02
Who is under-represented
Condition studies often measure distress without examining work design.
03
What research should connect
Intervention evidence needs stronger worker-centred outcomes.
Sources and further reading
Global evidence and authoritative guidance.
These sources support the key statements on this page. Statistics are contextual, time-bound and should be read with their source definitions. Evidence from one country, occupation or health condition should not automatically be generalised to all women.
Safe Work Australia — Psychosocial hazards →World Health Organization — Guidelines on mental health at work →WHO and ILO — Mental health at work policy brief →World Health Organization — Mental health at work →ILO — Experiences of violence and harassment at work: global survey →
Important: This page provides general evidence and workplace information. It is not medical, legal or employment advice and does not replace individual clinical care or professional advice.
Keep exploring
See the connected evidence picture.
Return to the Evidence & Resources Hub or explore the Global Women and Work Study.
Evidence & Resources →