Why do barely 35% of women with mental health disorders in Catalonia use work integration services, despite the fact that they constitute up 60% of the people who visit Adult Mental Health centres? The research aims to provide statistical data that accurately situate these percentages and discern the variables, as well as qualitative data that allow us to approach the mechanisms that interact in this unequal distribution, to answer this question, raised by the practical entities that participate in the project, with the aim of identifying its causes and making proposals for improvement.
Many previous researches have reported this gap, but its causes have yet to be investigated in depth. This project aims to establish and explain the causality of this phenomenon, by listening and understanding the various perspectives, synthesising and triangulating them with the different people concerned, in order to elaborate concrete measures of intervention.
Empirical data on social services and other specialised resources and programmes for people with mental health problems - collected by the AMMFEINA Labour Observatory - show that almost 70% of users are men, highlighting the fact that women do not benefit from these resources to the same extent.
In Catalonia there are three main services for the socio-occupational integration of people with mental health disorders (MHD) - Pre-employment Service, Special Employment Centre / EMS and Service of labour integration into the ordinary company -, which offer support and accompaniment to people who need it, favouring their social inclusion and improving their quality of life.
The positive impact of such services is broadly supported by previous studies, which have provided strong evidence that the combination of comprehensive clinical treatment with participation in work integration programmes has a positive effect on the health, quality of life and well-being of people with MHD.
The fact that women represent around 35% of the users of this type of services and resources means a discrimination with regard to the opportunity to get a job in order to join the labour world.
The social relevance of this project lies in its capacity to identify the causes of this gender inequality, and to propose specific measures to reverse the situation, facilitating and increasing the presence of women as users and, ultimately, improving their opportunities for employment and social integration.
MORE INFORMATION
- Call: This project is been sponsored by the Conecta Call of the Social Observatory of the 'la Caixa' Foundation.
- Reference: CX23-00153
