Urban Career Women and Stress in Southeast Asia

A theoretical and conceptual review of stressors facing urban career women in southeast Asian countries is presented within a chronological age-bracket framework. Similarities and distinguishing differences from findings in the United States, Europe, and Australia are discussed. Younger attractive women were more likely to encounter sexual harassment and be taken less seriously at work. In the middle years, family demands with young children pose more of a distraction for the women. Southeast Asian career women have an edge compared to their Western counterparts in better access to support for household duties and child-minding from live-in maids and parents. However, they are expected to care for elderly parents and be responsible for efficient home management. In higher management appointments, they face similar stressors in critical perceptions of their authority and leadership by both men and women subordinates. Management initiatives to inculcate attitude change and transparency in addressing convoluted and irrelevant gender-role expectations can yield substantial organizational benefits.