Stress management among working women in Kerala

The women of Kerala have a prominent role in Indian history in terms of social and cultural background. Matrilineal kinship patterns, caste hierarchies, religious diversity, and early reform movements shaped women’s lives and, for centuries, narrowed their access to education and paid work. This paper examines stress among working women in Kerala across three domains: socio-demographic background, family life, and work environment. A survey was carried out among 100 working women using a structured questionnaire with 15 Likert-scale statements (five each on socio-demographic, family-related, and work-related factors). Responses show that stress is closely linked to financial and marital roles: 65% strongly agreed that their income level causes worry about meeting family needs, and 70% that their marital status adds to daily stress. In the family sphere, 70% strongly agreed that household chores leave little time to relax, 65% that caring for children or dependants adds to stress, and 77% that family conflicts affect their emotional well-being, even though half reported strong support from family members. At work, 67% strongly agreed that deadlines and targets make them tense, and 67% that the behaviour of colleagues or supervisors adds to their stress, whereas only 30% strongly agreed that workload alone is excessive. The findings portray stress as the outcome of overlapping financial duties, marital and family expectations, care responsibilities, and workplace pressures. Effective stress management for working women in Kerala, therefore, requires shared domestic duties at home, supportive organisational practices at work, and accessible psychosocial support within the community.