Partly in response to Darren, partly in response to the initial question:

There likely would be differences as a result of differences in the expectations placed on women and men, including gender differences in what we expect of an executive in the workplace. (AKA: Sexism and socialized gender roles is the root cause of any differences between female executive stress and male executive stress.)

The need for starting a family, after all, is one that is socially ingrained in those assigned female from an early age.

It might be less common due to the fact that there is still some "glass ceiling" and women are less likely to be leading multinational corporations.

I would also consider the mention in the DSM-5 that racism can cause PTSD and ask if other marginalizations, including sexism, could do the same and if there might be a relation there.

I have not heard of FESS. The concept interests me greatly. Areas of investigation that come to mind include historical meanings of work and workers, the value of work experience gained in executive stewadship of the home, and the relationship between executive stress and compensation (if we consider compensation a reflection of the value of one's work). The latter question, of course, begs the question of gender parity in compensation.

Dear All,

thank you very much for your interventions. I have seen that you were not aware of Acronym, like me until a few days ago. I confess that I have discovered FESS helping my daughter with English homework and reading a passage from the mid-90s telling about the condition of women ...

The meaning of the passage was that women arrived suddenly at the professional emancipation enacted behaviors like aggressiveness, egotism, ambition without any moral moderation (similar to those of men) paying, however, in terms of psychological-psychosomatic distress with a larger amount than men.

I send you some ref.s, hoping to give you an idea of this stuff.

Gearing, S. (1994). Female Executive Stress Syndrome: The Working Woman's Guide to a Balanced and Successful Life. Summit Group.

Sullivan, S. E., & Mainiero, L. A. (2007). The changing nature of gender roles, alpha/beta careers and work-life issues: Theory-driven implications for human resource management. Career Development International, 12(3), 238-263.

Schueller-Weidekamm, C., & Kautzky-Willer, A. (2012). Challenges of Work–Life Balance for Women Physicians/Mothers Working in Leadership Positions. Gender medicine.

Thank you again and keep in touch!

Andrea

Women must detract from typical feminine characteristics in order to secure a place in a male-dominated corporate structure. You can't "have your cake and eat it to." There is a price to pay. The price is significantly heavier for those who have an existing family. Women are apt to delay marriage and childbirth in a effort to escape such a syndrome, but they are just delaying the inevitable. The career path towards the executive level is filled with a set of different dynamics for a woman. She carries a two-ton weight on her back with every step, partially due to the lack of social support- even from peers of the same gender. Women who seek executive positions are accused of violating traditional roles by men and women. The problem arises from the fact that as human being, we do not live in a vacuum or a "universe of one."

The loss of personal relationships can be devastating. Culture and lifestyle history also play an important role in how a woman digests the male-dominated corporate atmosphere and how she is perceived.

Even after all her hard work, she will not earn what her male counterpart makes, worse that is no place in that "all boy's club." As a society, we'd like to believe that we are overcoming gender discrimination but women continue to suffer from predetermined roles. We have not "overcome" and it is societal pretense that adds to potential depression and/or stress. In a "politically correct" environment, women are told that they are equal, so her psychological struggles are un-coerced. That simply is not true.

I am completely agree with Khalilah. The politically correct issue of "equality" (between gender, cultures, religions, ethnic groups) tends to neutralize differences. Nonetheless differences exist and everybody see them. This approach obtain a countereffect: nobody recognizes her/himself in this over general, neutral, unpersonal category of "equals", enacting distress, problem with personal identity and so forth. Recognizing (and respecting) differences not forcing the equality is the way to reduce stigma and to promote well being,

I really like what Andrea stated" Recognizing (and respecting) differences." The fact is we are all different to some degree and some excel over others, but accepting and respecting differences is the way to effectively work for change and individual liberty. Perhaps its not about equality as much as it is about exercising quantity of character in the way we relate to others. The emotional quagmire experienced by women in today's society might find its solution by modifying the way one conveys his moral principles to another bent on independence, on asserting his or her personal initiatives and ideas in such a way that one is heard. A woman who is considered to stray from the "norm" suffers from a particular kind of loneliness as she is pushed and pulled from an array of hopes, aspirations, worries and fears, that she cannot share with anyone else. even as she wonders about the thoughts and emotions of others. By not respecting the differences of women, females are left to develop a kind of moral vulnerability, even self arraignment at the hands of an overbearing conscience which has been prompted by the kinds of cultural transgressions that deny a woman her voice and self-determination. An individual, may indeed, present a singular self but will do at the cost of impenetrable loneliness.

Depending on a society's framework, a woman may experience a huge challenge as she tries to move past the constant shifts of cultural expressions. Life is painstaking as a woman holds on to what she has got and who she has been for dear life, even as she ventures into new and often difficult territory.

Yes, of course. Nonetheless, I think that level and kinds of internal conflicts in women are different than that in men. As I have said in my previous post, equality it is not the way. Women and men's needs are not equal, our professional attitude towards the prevention of work distress should take into account this issue.

Thank to Siew Yim Loh, actually I am agree with you. I guess that I need to clarify my assertions. I feel that rights must be the same regardless differences (gender, race, religion, culture) nonetheless the way to reach them might be different. For instance, a man could prefer as benefit a certain stuff and a women another. We cannot close our eyes on differences, we should find a way to give to everybody the things he/she considers as relevant for his/her wellbeing.

I am currently interested in occupational stress of women occupying leading positions into research and educational institutions. I have observed that they tend to manifest distress in a way that it is not completely overlapped to that of men in the same positions. They showed a shorter period of exhaustion than men, showing rapidly cinism (overtly). I have not any clear idea on other variables like personal achievement. It seems to me that distress takes different route for men and women.

What is the basis for the assertion "women show shorter period of exhaustion than men? if this assertion is based on research, then there must be factors responsible for it. Perhaps a proper look at gender inequality will clarify the issue of female executive stress.

Women are faced with all forms obstacles, their feminity is always called to question, when in high positions they have to contend with the male dominant ego of old social paradigms that try to undermine their intelligence. They contend with social super structures that query their capabilities with the ditum woman=weakness.

Some female executives are faced with multiple responsibilities of runing the domestic affairs,child training and care and being in charge of office matters. If you ask me, I would say this is enough reason for exhaustion.

But men, are most times mono-minded. They mind the business of the office because this is the role social super-structures assigned to them as head. They might be fathers, the care of the home and the kids are left in the hands of their wives who are assigned the role of home directors. Although the equality programs in some nations are making men to share in child care and domestic activity but this is yet to be effected in typical patriarchal societies such as Africa, India and others.

Men are not faced with the social stigma of proving their worth as the head, this is because, it is the norm. But a woman executive is most times seen as abnormal, so, she has to prove she is worth her salt. she has to contantly re-assert and re-define herself to maintain the position. Truth be be told, men don´t like women heading them.

this is why gender equality must be pursued in earnest, equality here means accepting the female executive the way you accept the male executive, give her the due and needed cooperation and stop constituting stress to the multiple activities of the females.